Gate: Thus the Empire actually had common sense
by arawn92
Summary: The gate has opened in Ginza, leading to a bloody massacre and the rise of the Hero of Ginza? No! In a world which has a little more sense, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus send scouts, and the following events might change his mind on the course of action!
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

They walked in the empty space, surveying their surroundings and looking for any threats. Well, one might assume that the void between the gates of their original world to the new world would be empty. But to assume anything and base plans on probabilities wasn't something they liked to do.

The four set of steps were muffled by… Whatever the floor was made of, the silence only broken by the crackling of the torch and the sound of cloth friction, accompanied by the occasional tint of metal hitting metal.

"Olva, still nothing?"

The man who just spoke was the one holding the torch. He had bright orange hair assembled into a ponytail and a well-groomed beard adorned his face, which was quite fitting for his thick build. His body was covered by a padded coat with his family blazonry: a red and yellow griffyn holding a spear and a shield on a dark blue background. Leather boots covered his feet, and an axe on his right hand had red glowing runes etched on it. On his back, a heather shield bearing the same blazon rested.

"Nothing, Ygar. The void between the gates isn't a fixed path, and time isn't as well. We'll reach the other side when the gods decide we have."

The woman who answered him was… Peculiar, to say the least. She was human, but the ice-blue, almost white retina of her eyes gave her an otherworldly feeling. The fact wasn't helped by the gnarled staff she held with a purple gemstone on the top. She was covered head to toe in fur clothes, the only skin showing being her face in a hood, and her hands. Her skin being very pale, one might even confuse her for a vampire.

Ygar groaned and resumed his long walk. They had been walking for three hours straight now, and while they weren't tired the sole of their feet was starting to hurt. A few more minutes passed in silence, and was broken by the sound of someone sniffing at the air, followed by a sneeze.

"Puah, the wind stinks here!"

Ygar looked in the direction of the voice.

"What do you mean? Did the gate open in a slum?"

After all, the priesthood of Hardy was very clear on one point: the gate had opened in a city. While it would make their scouting mission harder because of the density of population, it wouldn't be impossible.

"No… Smells stuffy, dirty… But not as in a slum… It's quite hard to explain…" answered the deep voice.

Ygar didn't question the answer of his battle brother. After all, Valgerd had pulled him out of tight spots more than once, just as he did. They trusted each other like brothers. They had even swore to Emroy the warrior bond. The figure in front of them stopped for a moment as it took out a bottle and drank, allowing Ygar, Olva and their fourth member to catch up. As the torch approached, his features slowly revealed.

Valgerd wasn't human. He was a demi-human of the Wolfman race, but he preferred to describe himself with the word of the language of his people: a _Barghest. _He was tall, easily dwarfing Ygar (who was already quite tall by human standards) by a head. With his body entirely covered in grey fur, it was no wonder he wore little clothes. He had stripped blue and white pants, a dark green cape on his back and at his belt was hung a flanged mace, as well as a shortbow held in place in an adapted quiver holding both the bow and arrows. Another belt went from his left shoulder to his right waist, holding a number of pouches, a knife and two small bottles. Hidden by the cape, a well-groomed tail swished back and forth as he walked.

"Get back in the front, beastman! Your role is to scout ahead, so do not stop and do as ordered!"

The voice that rang out seeped with content, and both Valgerd and Ygar frowned. The last member of the group wasn't a mercenary. By looking at him, one might consider him the paragon of imperial style. Short black hair, brown eyes, light skin, shaved face… He wore leather shin guards extending to form sandals at his feet, a pair of bracers showing his status as a _centurion_, dark red pants and an armor made with dark blue wyvern scales, leaving his arms bare. He held in the left hand the scabbard of a _spatha_, with the weapon sheathed inside.

Valgerd's face turned into a strange smile, at least to human eyes. It was hard to tell if he was smiling or if he was about to attack someone.

"But of course, imperial centurion Gelt Del Arturos. After all, how could I refuse the orders of someone chosen by the senate to oversee this mission… Surely there is nothing more important to your imperial highness…"

The wolfman walked forth, distancing himself with the rest of the group, ignoring the frustrated expression of the imperial. As soon as he was far enough, Gelt addressed Ygar.

"You will tell your subordinate to watch his tongue, or I might very well order his to be cut!"

"You won't do anything to him. He isn't a subordinate; he is a battle brother and I shall suffer no humiliation or any harm to him. You'd do well to remember I was chosen by the senate and blessed by the emperor himself for this mission. And I shall only answer to the senate or the emperor. You're just an observer."

This frustrated even more the imperial, it was all true. He wasn't expected to scout, he was only there as a witness should the mercenaries try to lie once they would come back to make their reports. Sighing in defeat, he straightened his back and walked forward, ignoring the smile forming on Ygar and Olva's lips.

The path was long. After two more hours of walking, a well-needed meal and some rest, and another hour of walking, the signs of reaching the other side started to show. First, it was Olva who raised her hand, stopping the two men.

"I feel a… Disturbance… I'm not sure but-" Olva's voice was immediately cut by Gelt's.

"Cut to the chase, witch! What are you speaking about?"

The former snow wych sighed.

"_Vokzal'naya, _I would have told you if you didn't interrupt me… I think we are reaching the end. Valgerd should be able to smell the other side soon."

And her predictions came true. As a light appeared in the distance, the wolfman reached the group.

"We're here. But I hear a lot of noise. Didn't the Hardy priest assure us we would reach the end during the night?"

"Yes." Gelt quickly answered. "Maybe they aren't human and live during the night?"

It wasn't such an absurd proposition. After all, many races in Falmart lived during the night and slept through the day, be it civilized or not. Goblins, for example.

When they finally reached the end, a strange sight welcomed them. People in primarily white clothes, walking around and holding strange contraptions. Some of them wore white robes, while some others seemed to be completely covered in white clothes that left only a small opening for the face and some cylindrical metal tube in their back. At first sight, they seemed all human.

An area of sort seemed to have been delimitated by yellow ropes, and people in blue and black uniforms seemed to be patrolling the perimeter. Fortunately, a strong source of light bathed the exterior in a cold white light, but the inside of the tunnel remained dark.

"Olva, do you have it?"

"Of course."

From the folds of her fur coat, she took out a folded black piece of cloth. It was an extremely rare item, lent to them from the imperial armory by the emperor himself. Should they lose or try to steal it, their whole family and friends were sure to be horribly tortured, and they would be hunted down even if they left the continent.

"Everyone, come around me."

Ygar, Valgerd and Gelt huddled the closest they could to the wych, and she unfolded it in the air, letting it fall on them. Curiously, they could still see through it.

"It's still hard to believe… To think we're completely invisible… The gods truly gift us with wonderful things…" Ygar couldn't help but comment. Olva's dry voice was quick to bring him back to reality.

"It only hides us to the eye. Be careful not to let it slip and be silent. Emroy may have blessed us mortals with items such as those, but we're not sure Emroy's blessing will extend to the other world. If it doesn't, this cape won't hide us forever. Ygar, you tell us where to go."

Leading the group, Ygar led his team to the new world, under Emroy's veil.

* * *

Oblivious to what was coming from the gate, Maya was cooling down a Starbucks cup. While the strange building that had appeared from nowhere a week ago was bringing a lot of curiosity from all around the world, Maya Kita had started to grow bored of it.

When it had first appeared, the Japanese government didn't really know what to do with it. It blocked one of Ginza's district road, but apart from that it did nothing. However, many questions had arose in the scientific community. For example, how could it have a seemingly empty black void on one end, and a stone wall on the other end? Would something come out of it?

The Japanese population being what it is, many stories had already started to pop out on the internet, one of them mentioning an invading army of roman and fantasy soldiers, others mentioned aliens, and even religion wasn't left out. Many religious leaders had already spoken, stamping the strange structure as a message from their respective god.

To at least try to understand the what, how or why, the Japanese government had contracted many companies to send their scientists and do every test imaginable. Maya had been tasked with measuring the temperature of the structure at different places, and different times to see if it was somehow involved into the gate's presence. Feeling the drink in her left hand, she drank a bit then used the gun-shaped infrared thermometer in her right hand, noting the temperature. Then, she walked back to a desk where her notepad was left, and scribbled in it.

_Columns (25/05/2026, 4am) – 15°C_

Dropping the pencil and the thermometer on the table, she approached a camping chair and heavily sat on it. She groaned when she realized her cup was empty, then resumed her long watch, striking a short conversation with a nearby police officer.

Only after a few minutes and out of boredom, she decided to check the photos taken by the thermal camera set to take a picture every five minutes. This would allow her to spot any minute difference she would maybe miss. The characteristic sound of a picture being taken was followed by a short beeping sound of the laptop connected to the camera signalling the good reception of the picture. She clicked on the new icon, but it was the same as all the other. A desperately blue picture, showing absolutely no temperature change and nothing of note. Frustrated to no end, she brought her hand down on the keyboard and sighed, closing her eyes.

"Something wrong, Maya?"

The one that asked the question was one of Maya's colleagues. He had been put in charge of the chemical analysis of the component of the gate, something that was at least more interesting than temperature. She opened her eyes and faced him out of politeness.

"No, nothing. Only blue, blue, blue, blue and blue. Ho, and did I mention blue? Maybe cyan?"

He lightly chuckled at the joke, before nodding and going back to his work. She reported her attention back on the computer, and silently swore when she realized she had accidentally changed the display of the photos in the folder from orderly lines with the date and hour taken, to a small preview of each picture with its name under it.

She was about to change the display back to what it was before, when her hand stopped.

One of the previews _wasn't_ completely blue.

With an almost juvenile excitation, she clicked on said picture and studied it. It showed the gate as it was before, but four figures walking very close to one another were apparently walking out of it, clearly visible in yellow and red on the blue background. Excitation slowly becoming nervousness, she looked around, but everything was the same as before. She waved to the closest police officer, catching his attention.

"Apart from me, other scientists and other police officers, no one passed in front of the gate, right?"

The officer lightly smiled.

"No Ma'am. You said yourself that you didn't want anyone walking between your equipment and the gate, you even said it personally to each of us. We still remember it."

She nodded to thank him, before going back to the mysterious picture. The file name said it had been taken ten minutes ago. Did the inhabitants of the void come out? She wasn't superstitious, but when something as extraordinary as a whole building appearing out of nowhere happened, her view of superstitions had changed.

However, she calmed when she remember one thing: she was probably one of the most protected people on earth right now. There were police officers constantly patrolling the area around the gate, as well as military road blocks further down each street leading to the gate and cameras constantly surveying each and every corner.

She rose from her chair, made sure that the thermal camera worked right with a few test pictures, confirmed that the reception of the files on the laptop worked correctly and even looked for stains on the lens, but everything was alright. Only able to conclude to a bug in the program, she closed the window, put back the display to what it was before and grabbed the infrared thermometer, going for a few more temperature checks.

A detached corner of her mind wondered about one of the four figures clearly not human, and the cut security tape in the direction they seemed to have been walking in. But it was quickly overwhelmed by the coping mechanism.

Fantasy creatures? Monsters of the void? Mere child tales… _right?_

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Here I am, starting a Gate fanfic. I was always kinda disappointed as to how the serie turned out, and I like to write original things. As I think it would make common sense for any general with more than a pea for a brain to get to know at least a little bit your enemy before the fight, I figured they would scout out the enemy before meeting something they know nothing about on the battlefield.**

**Now, for those that are looking for awesome gun fights and medieval armies swatted by artillery, this story isn't for you. This will be more of a "reverse-adventure", as well as a detective story (I don't want this story to be too long, and will probably end it around the actual invasion try of the empire). Please tell me what do you think of the concept with this prologue in the comments, it would help immensely.**

**For now, good night and see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 1: Behind enemy lines

**CHAPTER 1:BEHIND ENEMY LINES.  
**

Once more, the group froze as a roaring beast sped past them. Once it was far enough, they relaxed under Emroy's veil.

"How can they live with such beasts moving in their cities?" asked Gelt in a panicked voice.

Ygar eyed cautiously one similar beast nearby, although this one had its eyes closed and didn't seem to move. It had no legs, but wheels made from some kind of black material.

"I do not think they're beasts… They have wheels. Chariots? Iron chariots?"

At Ygar's comment, Gelt managed to calm down a little.

"You're… Surely right. Doesn't tell how they move, but let's go, we need to find a secure place before dawn comes. And _some of us_ really need to bathe. It's getting hot under that veil."

Velgard completely ignored the remark, focusing on the environment. They had been walking for quite some time now, and there was still no sign of reaching the city limits. No guards as well, which was a blessing in disguise for their mission. All that surrounded them were towers of varying size, but all of them easily dwarfed the best imperial constructions.

"I still wonder how they build those…" wondered Olva. The new world had many wonders, the ability to build so high being one of them.

"It reminds me of the Dassani tribes… We were there with Velgard about ten years ago, they live on the outer edge of the Western Desert. They live in troglodyte homes, dug out from really high stone spires sticking out of the ground. Maybe this place was built with similar means?"

Ygar's explanation made more sense than anything they could imagine, and with their curiosity at least a little bit sated the resumed their search, occasionally commenting on the strange and almost godly sights all around.

It was only after walking all night and when the sky started to turn orange that a suitable place presented itself. A patch of forest seemingly left unbuilt inside the city, with a red stone structure that seemed to be some kind of gate to a path leading to a primarily wooden construction. All around, the large towers had disappeared to give in to more simple houses that the Saderan bourgeoisie could have lived in. Considering the architecture difference and the small size of the place in front of them, it looked like to be a shrine or a temple. But the important part was that the trees looked dense enough to provide cover during the day.

And to be fair, it relaxed the group that felt like they had been walking in a rock and steel labyrinth. Checking that no bystander was around, they removed Emroy's veil from their shoulders and easily climbed the fence. Once far enough in the trees to be hidden, covers were laid out and all slept soundly, except for those unfortunate enough chosen for guard duty.

* * *

The whole next day was thankfully uneventful, the group staying low amidst the vegetation. They had taken a very low amount of supplies initially with the idea that they would be able to scavenge from the land. The thing was, in this sprawling city there seemed to be nothing natural to scavenge, unless they wanted to eat tree bark and grass.

With the dimming light of day, a discussion was taking place as to what the plans would be for the night. There was a lot to do, and little time.

"…Haven't seen any armed guards last night, but those uniformed people that roamed around the gate, maybe they were? I suppose their black staves are maces or magic items?"

Olva was quick to answer Ygar's query.

"No, I haven't felt any magic coming from them. In fact, I haven't felt any magic except mine since coming to this world… Maybe they're just dumb? No sane leader would leave city guards unarmoured. All they have is this… Weird black staff for those dressed in green. And even worse, those dressed in blue had no weapon that I could see."

All took a moment to think about it, until Gelt broke the silence.

"Maybe they weren't guards? After all, they were also those that had white robes, near the gate, unarmoured too. "

It made little sense. For anyone, having a foreign structure suddenly appear in the middle of the city would at least make people wary. But near the gate, the closest things to guards they could see where those men in blue, green and white who seemed to have no armour and no proper weapons.

"Let's forget about that." Began Ygar. "We have to scout out this city, find the strongholds or any important structure and draw a map. I propose we go by groups of two in different directions, and meet again when the moon is at highest at this place we passed by earlier. It had all sorts of ladders, swings and small open houses. I will go north with Geld, Velgard and Olva will go south."

Without knowing about it, Ygar was describing a playground they had passed the night prior. After receiving approving nods from everyone, it was a simple matter of waiting until night fell completely.  
But even when night fell, it wasn't ideal. Strong lights coming from metal poles left little shadow to hide, and with their battle gear they didn't really fit in with the civilian population.

What was also surprising was the number of people in the streets. Even when night had fallen, a few people still roamed about, forcing the mercenaries to stand down.

"Damn it" hissed Gelt. "Why are there people outside so late?"

The three mercenaries ignored the centurion's comment, having long learned that complaining about a situation you could do nothing about was useless. However, it gave a good idea to Olva.

"If we can't scout during the day and during the night, we'll have to find some clothes and explore when we can. We only have a few days after all."

The senate had only given them a few days to explore and get to know a rough outline of the land. A week at most. The invasion order would be launched whether or not they came back. And if they failed, not only would they wouldn't be rewarded, their reputation would plummet, and work opportunities along.

"Then, " began Ygar, "we should break into a home, get some clothes and local currency so we can fit in. I haven't seen other non-humans yet Velgard, so I don't know if there's going to be something for you."

The wolfman groaned.

"I guess I'll have to do with what I have then."

They waited even more, and it was only when the moon was at highest that the street lights shut off. Fortunately, there seemed to be not a soul in the streets too. Under the cover of the night, they walked off the wooden grove. As the choice of the house to raid didn't matter, they picked the closest one. It was a relatively common one, at least in comparison to all the other houses around. One large fence closed a path on which one of the iron chariots rested, this one thankfully with its light off and no roaring sound. A smaller gate led to the door. The house itself consisted of a main floor, and a first floor with a seemingly flat roof. With the smaller gate left unlocked they entered and closed it behind them.

"Alright," Began Ygar, "Remember that we have to do it silently. Me and Geld will go from the front, Velgard and Olva look for other exits and block them."

Geld raised his voice.

"We can't leave them alive either, we don't want them to babble about our looks to the enemy."

Olva was the first to react.

"We can't just kill them!" She furiously whispered. "What if they surrender?! Do we just slaughter them, women and children included?"

He looked at her with a cold gaze.

"Should I tell the senate AND the emperor the whole mission was compromised because you were too soft to kill?"

Ygar sent him a dark look, but he had to agree. They had to leave the least amount of clues about their presence, and killing was certainly the most effective way of silencing. Yes, the bodies would soon be discovered. But provided no one else came into the house, it would take a few days and they would be long gone at this point.

With that in mind, as Ygar and Geld knocked at the door, Olva got around the house by the left while Velgard took the right.

* * *

Kenichi was a simple salaryman, with a simple life. He had a family, a job, a house, a car and every modern amenity needed. While it wasn't rare for him to be in the red at the end of some months, it wasn't something that forced him to change his lifestyle either. But if there was one skill Kenichi was proud of, it was hunting. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, the kick of the shot against his shoulder and the pride of seeing the result of perfect aim. And right now, as hunting season was about to start, he was already thinking about what to prepare, happily humming.

So when someone knocked at the door, he sighed, thinking about who could interrupt his dinner with the family. His wife simply smiled, put back the fork on the table and went to answer. Kenichi looked warmly at his sons, two boys eight and thirteen years old respectively who wolfed the contents of their plates. Through the open door of the kitchen, he heard his wife talking with the person who knocked.

"Excuse me, who is it?"

"_Secede, mulier!"_

Foreigners? Kenichi had come into contact with foreigners only a few times and even then, his broken English was quite bad. His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a noise. Something had hit a compact material, and was followed by a scream of pain. He recognized it immediately. His wife was screaming. He immediately got straight up, knocking his chair down and scaring his kids who stopped eating.

Things were quite hectic in Kenichi's mind. On one hand, he wanted to go look at what happened at the front door, on the other hand he was a bit scared. One detached corner of his mind was already screaming at him to run, but he couldn't. He had sons to protect.

The sounds of people running came closer to the kitchen, and his wife barged in, followed by a foreigner holding an axe and a shield. The incongruity of the situation surprised him, but what he saw quickly made him focus. Her whole left waist seemed to be covered in blood.

"PROTECT THE KIDS, KENI-"

Her shout was interrupted when the foreigner slashed with his weapon and silenced her. Immediately, two choices presented themselves in Kenichi's mind. Try to save his dying wife, or run with the kids. When he saw the foreigner's look, he immediately chose the second option. There was no time to lose.

"Akito, Haru!"

Without waiting for their answer, he grabbed them by the hand and pulled them as he dashed to the living room. He could feel the youngest, Haru, losing balance so he pulled him and forcibly took him in the arms. Once in the room, he closed back the door behind him and ran to the glass door leading to the garden.

"Akito, get outside, quickly!"

A little confused by the events, the boy named Akito opened the glass door and stepped outside.  
Only to be met with a literal monster. A hybrid of a human and a wolf, towering at least three times his height. He didn't get to feel anything, as the beginning of his scream was cut short by a knife stab. As he witnessed this, Kenichi's heart sunk. He had lost his wife. He had lost his first son. He _wouldn't _lose his second son.

Grabbing Haru in his arms and with tears in the eyes, he shut the glass door and went back into the living room. On one side, the foreigner with the axe burst in the room, while the sound of shattered glass behind signified that the wolf-like monster had broken in. His last route of escape being the stairs leading to the first floor, he rushed in, jumping the steps three by three. Behind him, the noise of multiple people giving chase only made him take more risks to outrun them.

Once up the floor, he rushed to the bedroom he usually shared with his wife, locked the door, put a chair against it and sat his son on the bed.

"Haru, daddy will have to do bad things…" His voice was cut with sobs and his sight blurred by the tears. "Close your eyes and cover your ears, alright? Everything's going to be alright…"

Kenichi smiled, caressing with a trembling hand the smooth hair of his son. The poor kid was too young to understand what was happening, and he smiled at his dad before doing what was asked. Then, Kenichi rushed to the wall cabinet, opened it, threw the clothes away until he found what he was looking for: a long safe, closed by a digital code. He clicked the right buttons and the safe opened, revealing his trusty hunting rifle and a carton box of shells.

He grabbed the rifle in one hand and the box in the other. Too anxious, nervous and afraid, the box slipped from his hand and the shells clattered against the ground. Kenichi fell on his knees and grabbed a fistful of them. Behind him, the noise of cracking wood and loud thuds meant the door would hold for a few more seconds at best.

He had experience in using his rifle. But loading a weapon in preparation for a careful shot and loading under extreme stress and with his own life and his son's at risk were two different things. He broke the action, inserted one cartridge, the rest of the shells slipped from his fingers. He was about to grab one from the ground when the door finally broke and another foreigner he hadn't seen before barged in. It was a man with some kind of scale armor and a sword in one hand.  
With no time to load the second shell, he closed the action, cocked the hammer and fired blindly in the direction of the foreigner.

Thunder spoke, and the strenght of multiple pellets fired from such a close range was enough to propulse him against the wall, shocking the rest of the invader group. The large wolf-like man was the first to react, rushing in and kicking away the rifle from Kenichi's hands.

It was over. It was all over. With a silent cry, he crawled to the bed, and knelt over his son. If there was one last thing he could do, then he would at least try to save him. A female voice spoke in a calm, almost regretful tone.

_"Fortis fuisti, accippiat Emroy te in imperio suo...__"_

Then, the world turned white.

* * *

They had left in a hurry. The noise generated by the man's thunder stick had probably woken up the whole district and soon people would come to check. With speed in mind, Velgard had taken the unconscious Geld in his arms while Olva packed full a backpack they had found with all sorts of clothes and Ygar raided the house, taking anything that might have looked useful. Of course, Ygar had carefully packaged the thunder stick and some of the red cylinders. While he had no idea how it worked, seeing the effect on the centurion's armor was enough to tell it was extremely powerful.

As they ran, suddenly a noise started to grow in intensity. They literally couldn't describe it. It wasn't a scream or any voice, it wasn't a music instrument… Was it a product of magic? Maybe Olva was wrong in thinking magic didn't exist here?  
The question was quickly answered as from the corner of the street suddenly appeared a black and white iron chariot, with blinking red and blue lights on top of it. The vision froze the three members of the group still conscious, but at the last moment they managed to hide behind a street corner.  
It was as if madness had overtaken one of the chariots, its belly roaring angrily as it picked an impossible speed, the unnatural lights hurting the eyes and casting terrifying shadows around while a loud scream of alien noise assaulted their ears. It sped past them, and it took them a good moment to get back control of their limbs.

Still shocked, they acted as if they were automated constructs, searching for a place to rest to look after the wounded Gelt. And with the commotion generated in the house, going back into the wooden area was out of the question. They needed to go far, far away.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**I will start by telling this: I am not taking a real map of Tokyo to write the story. You can consider I am using an "alternate" Tokyo, where I only pick a few landmarks that will stay the same.**

**I don't have a clear upload schedule, I'll try to upload every saturday, but I might take a few more days to write if needed.**

**During this chapter, I fear I have written it a little bit dark, but that's what I wanted to portray. Don't hesitate to tell me if you're fine with this level of "graphicness" or if you'd rather want me to tone it down a bit.**

**And lastly: I have only seen the anime. As such, all my informations are from either the anime, either the internet. If there's an error in the lore, please tell so.**

**Reviews are very welcome!**


	3. Chapter 2: Getting to learn

**CHAPTER 2: GETTING TO LEARN.**

Bracing for the cold air of the night, investigator Taketa Gennosuke opened the door of the car that brought him to the crime scene and stepped out. Two police cars were already parked nearby, and a scientific police van had its back door open, a man in an all-white suit knelt nearby and carefully observed the ground. The scene was surrounded by yellow police tape, stopping a few curious and sleepy onlookers.  
Gennosuke was a man in his mid-fourties, his sharp mind and astute sixth sense had helped on a lot of cases. His black hair was wild, result of the middle-of-the-night summon and a brown vest rested upon his grey work suit.

"Inspector Gennnosuke? I am corporal Seison."

Taketa turned to face the officer addressing him and shaked his hand.

"I assume you read the initial report?"

He groaned, and apparently the corporal took it as an approval. It was quite an ugly case. A whole family of four had been murdered, the neighbours had immediately called the police when a gunshot had disturbed their sleep. Unfortunately, the first officers on the scene had come too late and there were no survivors. A few points already stood out in the rest of the report, but Taketa left them for the corporal to explain more clearly as he had trouble believing them.

As he followed the corporal, explanations started to come.

"As you read in the report, four are dead. Here's the mother, Yasue Fuyu. Killed by a bladed weapon."

He pointed to a corpse covered by a blue tarp inside the kitchen, a large pool of blood had already formed around. Nearby, another man in white suit was taking blood samples. The light was still on, and a table with four plates of noodles showed clearly how the victims had been taken by surprise. Corporal Seison then left with Taketa in tow right into the nearby living room. A glass door leading to the garden was smashed, and a small body froze Taketa's heart for a moment. Despite being a policeman for his whole life, there was no getting used to seeing a child's lifeless corpse.

"Akito Fuyu. We assume he was trying to flee. Knife stab."

Then, the two of them climbed the steps leading to the first floor and into what seemed to be the parent's bedroom. There, a dramatic scene was being photographed by another figure in white. A man was hugging a small body. It seemed that in a desperate last measure, the father had tried to protect his son. The scene was heart-breaking, but another fact made it… Strange.

The bodies were covered in frost.

The skin was blue, almost white. Taketa looked through the window by reflex, but the night was still the same with its chilly temperature, certainly not enough to cause such an effect. Myriads of possibilities came into his mind, but none made sense.

"Haru Fuyu and Kenichi Fuyu. We also find it very weird. We don't have much yet, but the mother's brother answered our call and told us he didn't think she or her family had problems with anybody. Further information will have to wait as the investigation goes on. Do you need anything else?"

He scratched his chin, caressing the beginning of a beard he would have to shave soon.

"Try to find the victim's cell phones and see the phone history."

An uneasy look spread on the corporal's face.

"But sir, the phones are already in the crime scene investigators' hands. We shouldn't fiddle with potential clues…"

Taketa cut him.

"There's plenty of clues, tell them it's my order. Plus, they were already working on it when I came, maybe they finished."

"Alright sir."

As the corporal walked away, Taketa was left with the forensic investigator who was still taking photos at different angles. The silence only broken by the sound of the camera snapping each time a shot was taken.

There wasn't much to work with, but he could already draw some conclusions. The first one was that it wasn't just a simple robbery. Robbers wouldn't have killed everyone while leaving phones, tv's and valuables untouched. Maybe it was a psychopath? There was no telling what happened in a mad person's head. Maybe the Fuyu family was victim only to a lack of luck when the killer was choosing a house to attack. Checking the medical records of the area's inhabitants could prove useful.

A second conclusion was that the attacker wasn't alone. Based on the mother's position, it was very likely they had been interrupted during dinner, she had answered and killed when trying to warn the rest of the family. Then, one of the kids had been killed by someone else as he tried to flee outside. A cult then? Or a yakuza gang?

A third conclusion was that the attackers weren't armed with firearms. The position of the unused shells on the ground as well the lack of bullet holes except from those on the wall nearby showed that the father had only managed to shoot once. The lack of said firearm on the scene already gave a headache to Taketa, the perspective of deranged killers armed with such a weapon very worrying.  
The wounds caused by bladed weapons were quite large, meaning it wasn't done with a simple kitchen knife. Then again, it wasn't hard in this day and age to buy a machete or some kind of sword on the internet.

But the real mystery remained the frozen corpses. He addressed to the crime investigator nearby.

"Hey, can liquid azote give such a result?"

The man took a last picture before answering.

"No sir. Liquid azote is very volatile, we would be able to smell it just by entering the house if enough was used to get this result. Besides, we can't find traces of it. It's literally as if the temperature had suddenly dropped to an incredible degree on this precise place. We're as puzzled as you."

The certainty in the man's voice left no doubt about the validity of the answer. As he overlooked the scene once more, a yellow glint caught his eye. Intrigued, he searched for a bit before finding what he was looking for, half-hidden by a pair of jeans.  
It was a coin. A gold coin it seemed. It was in quite a bad shape and he couldn't recognize it. Then again, he knew next to nothing about ancient money. For all he knew, one of the victims could have been a collector. He notified the crime scene investigator of it just in case, then walked back to observe the rest of the house.

There was a lot of work ahead.

* * *

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.  
It was this constant feeling of pain that woke up the imperial from what had been a painless sleep. Opening his eyes, Gelt found himself face to face with a beastman. For a moment, both froze. Then, Velgard smiled. Or not. It was hard to tell if he was smiling or preparing to tear someone's throat.

This terrifying vision forced the imperial to retreat, but he found himself against a stone wall. A light laugh escaped Velgard's maw.

"Calm down, imperial. I'm not going to hurt you. Rather, I'm trying to heal you. Stop moving."

A little bit calmed down, Gelt took a moment to assess his surroundings. He was sat on a stone surface, and large stone pillars seemed to be holding up a structure above them. A large river flowed just a few meters away from them. Then, he noticed something else that was… Surprising. His clothes had been replaced blue pants and black shoes, with a white buttoned vest resting on the ground just near him, leaving him bare-chested. Velgard was dressed up as well, a large vest with a hood raised up (probably to hide his ears and face), similar blue pants that seemed to be way too small for the wolfman's bulky build and black boots that fit the peculiar anatomy of the race he was of.

"What… What is happening?"

He recognized the noise of one of the iron chariots riding on the structure above them and raised his arms, bracing for the impact, but the noise died down. Velgard hadn't even reacted.

"You got beaten up pretty badly in that house last night. We had to haul you far away before the local guard force caught us and found that place under a bridge. Ygar and Olva went scouting today, we all wear the clothes we got from the house. Now, stop moving and let me finish."

Gelt looked at his chest, and his heart froze. It wasn't a nice view. Half of the upper part of his chest had been bandaged, but the other part had turned into a mix of black, purple and blue. Being an army man, he immediately recognized the signs of extreme blunt damage, but he remained positive. His wyvern scale armor had taken the brunt of the attack. He noticed Velgard was holding a clay pot with some kind of blue cream inside it.

"You're not going to poison me, are you? I know how you beastmen operate… Not fighting our armies face-to-face, only cowardly stealing our provisions and poisoning our water supplies…"

Velgard rolled his eyes, frustrated to no end.

"Listen, if I wanted to kill you, I would have left you in that house. I know you humans like to use magic to heal the high-ranking officers but we mercenaries can't afford it. This-" He showed the clay pot and its content. "will fasten your natural healing abilities. You'll be all fine in two days, but you'll get tired. I think you also have one or two broken ribs; I can't help with more than bandages for that."

Still suspicious, Geld dropped his guard and let the wolfman do his job. He clenched his teeth and repressed his groans, not willing to admit to a beastman he was in pain. Once the cream was applied and the skin bandaged, the imperial let out a pleased sight. He could feel the cold cream already soothing the pain. He then put on the white vest and took on a more comfortable position. He had to admit, wearing those clothes felt weird, but they felt very good and smooth on the skin. Not on the level of what the best imperial tailors could do, but it was surprising to find such quality in commoner's clothes.

Velgard had taken a sitting position against a wall nearby, letting him oversee anyone who could come from all sides. He was putting back the clay pot into a small wooden box, and Gelt saw that it was filled with all sorts of bottles, pots and powders.

"What are those?"

"Why the sudden interest, imperial? I thought I was vermin in your eyes." Retorted Velgard.

Clearly struggling inside, Geld managed to talk after a few seconds of incomprehensible mumbling.

"While I don't like beastmen, you _did _save my life, and I am a man of honor. I would like at least to know a bit about you and the other mercenaries."

Velgard let out a curious "huh?", clearly not expecting such an answer. He disliked humans (save for a few exceptions), he had come to know that a strong racism against all other races was deeply engraved in human nobility, easily extending to other groups in human society. Another fact was that he knew that when the humans had invaded the land of his people many generations ago, atrocities had been committed in the name of "human superiority".  
His evaluation of Geld rose up a little notch. Maybe this particular human wasn't so bad after all.

"If you must know, I am the apothecary of our little team. We don't have the numbers, so we must all have at least two main skills. I know how to use a bow, as well as being a herbalist and an apothecary. Olva knows how to use magic and how to read and write in many languages, you'd be surprised at how useful it is when we travel so much. And Ygar is our team leader, melee fighter. He's a noble as well, so he uses his connections to get good contracts."

Geld raised an eyebrow.

"Ygar? A noble?"

"Yes. You didn't think the senate chose him just from fame alone, did you?" Answered Velgard. "His full name is Ygar Fal Sodis, son of Marquis Sodis, protector of the northern reaches. He's the fifth son, so he joined the army at first but well… The orderly nature and the chain of command didn't really fit him so he left and became a mercenary instead. I was also a mercenary, and saved him from a group of bandits who had captured him. Turns out a bloody vengeance against said bandits is enough to form bonds of friendship strong enough to stay together to this day. Olva was a slave he bought, but he made a contract to free her after three years if she helped with her magic. She accepted, and decided to join us when the contract ended."

Geld took a moment to think over what he just heard, but then a detail caught his attention.

"Wait, she was a slave? How did a Rondel mage managed to get enslaved? And how did she decide to just… Join back despite having been a slave?"

Velgard groaned as he closed the leather sack holding the group's supplies.

"You have many questions, imperial. I don't know. I find the human mind extremely confusing. I think she told Ygar the reason, but she never told me. Who knows, maybe she fell in love? It's not my problem, and I don't intend on putting my nose in her affairs. She's a good companion, that's all that matters."

Dropping the matter, Geld stayed silent and joined Velgard in his watch. A few people had tried to approach, but it seemed that Velgard's intimidating size scared them off. Fortunately, they also didn't seem to get close enough to see inside his features inside the hood.

It was only when the falling sun dyed the sky orange that Olva and Ygar came back to the improvised camp.

* * *

"So, what did you find out?"

It seemed Geld had warmed up to Ygar after learning he was a fellow noble. However, Ygar completely ignored him, trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. Olva was digging in what looked like to be a backpack from this world.

"I'm speaking to you, mercenary."

Ygar took out some kind of transparent paper bag from a pocket which he tore open. He then gave what looked like to be smoked meat strips to Velgard and Olva, took some for himself then threw the package in front of Geld. Olva did the same with a bag containing four loaves of bread. Out of pride and hurt at being disrespected, Geld left the package and the bread in front of him despite being hungry as well.

"As long as you disrespect my battle brother, imperial, I shall disrespect you."

A light laugh escaped Velgard's maw.

"He was better today. Grateful we saved his skin."

Olva who was about to throw a water skin to Geld stopped her hand movement, then extended her hand and put the water skin near the package.

"Alright," Ygar then began. "We're getting closer to actual results. First of all, we managed to steal what I think is this country's flag."

Olva took out a piece of cloth from the bag and unfolded it. It was all white with a large red circle in the center. All flags had meanings, some more complex than others, but in this new world and its customs, it was hard to tell what it represented.

"We also bought these backpacks, it will be easier to hide our gear. Strangely, they use paper money. These paper slips somehow have more worth than these coins."

Curious expressions appeared on Geld and Velgard's face as Ygar showed them a number of paper slips and some coins. The idea of paper money was an alien one. If one used paper money, then wouldn't anyone who knew how to draw be able to produce such money? But when Velgard looked closer, he abandoned the thought. The quality of the drawing was great, only a few experts on Falmart would be able to produce such results. And even if they could, producing it in high quantity would prove to be hard.

Geld and Velgard flinched when suddenly light appeared. While they were focusing on the money, Olva had taken out a weird contraption, with a round bottom and a glass cylinder at the top from which the light came from. Their attention quickly drew back to the money as magical lights from Rondel, while rare, could be bought by rich noblemen and merchant who wanted to flaunt their wealth.

"Ygar, tell them about… This place."

Olva's voice sounded tired. Very tired. A bit concerned, Velgard proposed her an energizing drink of his brew but she refused with a smile, thanking him anyway. Ygar's voice grew weary as well as he started to explain.

"Well, how to explain clearly… Imagine a tower. One of those towers we saw while leaving the gate two days ago. Imagine it being at least twenty stories high. And on each floor, imagine at least twenty shops with enough riches to make even the empire's richest merchants jealous. All these riches, and hundreds if not thousands of commoners in it, buying and selling using that money we took from the house."

The imperial and the wolfman tried to imagine such a thing, but they couldn't. How could such a thing exist? So many things readily available? And mere commoners having access to them? It was simply preposterous.

As Ygar was about to continue explaining, a noise cut him. It was the noise of one of the countless iron chariots that had been moving on the bridge above them, except this one had stopped just near and the rumbling noise of its belly had stopped. After two days and a night in this world, Ygar had come to understand what it meant. Soon, otherworlders would come out of it. He raised his hand, shutting everyone.

"Velgard, are they coming here?"

The wolfman's ears raised under his hood, and he silently nodded and showed two fingers for the number of people coming.

"Olva, put back everything in the bag, we're leaving!" Ygar whispered.

But despite their best efforts, it seemed the otherworlders knew where to look. The beam of a powerful light source shined on them, and a voice rang out.

"_Kon'nichiwa! Tōkyō no keisatsusho, watashitachi wa anata ni ikutsu ka shitsumon ga arimasu…"_

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Don't have much to say for this chapter, so I might as well answer to some comments.  
**

**Irish guest: Yes, there's a police and military presence around the gate, surveying it 24h/24. But as much as the mercenaries don't know about technology, the japanese don't know about magic, alchemy and tactics the mercenaries brought with them.**

**V1kingz-98: Well, why not. I have another idea, but yours could work as well.**

**kiyone4ever: The scene was intended to be dark. And while yes, they deserve a harsh punishment, remember that they come from a world which places much less value on human life. **

**I guess that's all for now. Don't hesitate to comment, and see you next publication!**


	4. Chapter 3: First contact

**CHAPTER 3: FIRST CONTACT**

It wasn't a new situation for the mercenaries. Getting found out by enemies or random people while they tried to hide happened to them twice or thrice. And while getting payed was good, getting out alive was way more worth it. That's why Ygar first tried to talk it out with the two otherworlders in front of him.

"Hello there! We are merely passer-by's; we don't want any trouble."

The two otherworlders dressed in blue looked at each other, muttered to themselves a bit then one of them spoke again.

"_We Tokyo police. We want ask questions you. Okay?"_

Obviously, neither side could understand each other. Olva had recognized those as some kind of guards, after all the similarly dressed people patrolling around the gate. She knew that if she or one of the other three somehow brought suspicions, then it would be all over for them.

But what she also knew was that those seemed to be the same humans from her world. And that humans generally get discouraged quickly when things don't go in their way. She didn't know why those two guards were there, but seeing their behaviour and their expressions they clearly didn't expect the group of four to be threats, and they seemed tired. She knew she just had to discourage them, and raised her voice.

"_Haksa, vehgi emal jesc I bawic davo."_

She sneakily signalled to Velgard to do the same.

"_Jekor kera itu gerv, fabile."_

She chuckled internally, for Velgard had just straight up insulted the guards in his Barghest language. It seemed as the strategy was working, as the two guards seemed more confused than ever. One of them scratched his hair, while the second looked at them with a blank look. After a while, one of the guards simply waved them goodbye and left with the other guard in tow. As the noise of their iron chariot died down in the dimming sunset, Ygar allowed himself to breathe.

"Good thinking, Olva and Velgard. At least we'll be left alone for a while. But we have to be on the move. Velgard and Geld, you'll be exploring tonight. Meanwhile, me and Olva are going to rest here. If we aren't there when you return, we'll leave a message somewhere nearby." He said.

Velgard nodded, but the imperial was clearly offended.

"Am I to understand you're giving me orders, Ygar Fal Sodis? I may not have been blessed by the emperor for this mission, but I do not appreciate you telling me what to do."

A frozen silence settled between the four. While the three mercenaries glared at the imperial with angry eyes, he didn't falter. He was to be an observer for this mission. If he so wanted, he could speak before the senate and the emperor at their return, and all he said didn't have to be truth.

But Ygar smiled instead.

"You are right, Gelt. I should not give you orders. I should force you instead."

Ygar took out his axe from the backpack Olva was holding. Gelt eyed him cautiously while putting his hand on the guard of his sword.

"Do you see this axe? It has been blessed by Flare himself an untold amount of time ago, and is a heirloom of the Sodis family. Any metal it touches turns instantly red-hot. I could chop you to pieces with it. Or I could tell you the fact that my older brother, Melkar Fal Sodis is a member of the senate. And I don't recall an "Arturos" ever being part of the senate."

While a bit apprehensive now, the imperial still stood still. But Ygar wasn't done.

"I may only be a mercenary, but remember to not make enemies with someone you can't, Gelt. I have the will and the means to force my opinion. Now, either follow my orders or die right here and now."

The incredibly tense atmosphere stood still for a few moments, then died down as Gelt put back the sword in its sheathe in a frustrated movement. Ygar stood down as well. Followed by an angry Gelt, Velgard left the camp in order to accomplish his mission while Ygar and Olva got comfortable around. After all, they had just walked a whole day without interruption, taking the world around them as much as possible. Rest was necessary.

* * *

"Did you have to be that rough with him?" Asked Olva.

They were still under the bridge, having put a piece of cloth on the strange lamp to make it less obvious in the night. Now, the light was only visible if one precisely searched under the bridge. Both were munching on some supplies they had bought with the foreign currency, wondering what were those transparent bags made of. If they found out how it was made, many merchants would pay for that kind of knowledge.

"I know his kind." Answered Ygar. "He's typical of imperial minor nobility. Joined the imperial army, got a good rank thanks to his family's wealth and fame. Never ranked up too much as he doesn't have the actual skills, so incredibly frustrated. Then, he received the order to oversee us three mercenaries, a task certainly too lowly for his high self. But there's one thing nobles fear, and it's other nobles. Since I'm from a higher family, I had to shut him down this way since he wouldn't stop. He would have made us fail at our task."

Olva accepted the answer and leaned more comfortably against the wall. She was still struggling to understand this world. On one hand, it seemed the world of the gods. Chariots that didn't need anything pulling them. Stores filled with enough food to feed a hundred people for a week. Very few beggars. Lights seemingly constantly on. Happy and well-clothed citizens. No slaves. From her point of view, only gods could make such a society.  
Never in her life had she seen such a thing. Only in dreams and drunken conversations.

On the other hand, everything seemed dangerously fragile. She had seen so few of those blue-clothed guards, and even less green-clothed. There could be a murder, and no guard force nearby to stop it. Granted, it was reasonable to think that with the speed those iron chariots could pick up, any part of the city could be reached in time.  
Another thing bothered her: people weren't armed. Back on Falmart, it was quite common for men to wear a sword or a dagger at their waist. Even if they didn't know how to use it, bandits were made aware that there would be at least a little bit of resistance. And even if not bandits, many unknown monsters and dangers roamed the wilderness. Part of the mercenaries (such as her) role's was to deal with those when the army couldn't be dispatched by the local lords.

This last thought made her open her eyes and dig in the backpack at her side. She took out one of the many items they had gathered today with Ygar. It was a small book, made of smooth paper pages and slightly more rigid first and last page. She couldn't read the title, but the front cover displayed a stylized figure which she could easily recognize as a female elf. She had strange large eyes and way too skimpy clothes, but the long ears left no doubt. The quality of the drawing impressed her, but it also raised another question: did elves exist in this new world?  
She showed the front cover to Ygar and asked him. He took a moment to think about it, then raised his voice.

"To be fair, I'm not completely sure. That's definitely an elf, and we've seen many depictions of non-human creatures here and there. They all had strangely large eyes but let's put that aside. We haven't actually seen any of those. To me, it feels like they know they exist, but they've never seen them. It would explain how disproportioned some of the drawings are. Maybe they don't live in cities? Or they were exterminated? I can't tell."

They spent some time talking about both nothing and everything. From the culture, to the weather and even the season this world was probably in. Olva enjoyed those moments.

Her childhood had been rough. She was born as a snow wych. A tribal culture led by women, with men being nothing more than tool in women's political games. Together with her sisters, she had been taught the terrifying magic of the mountains they lived on. With it, they could cause avalanches, call for storms and freeze entire companies of men with rituals. Unfortunately, her tribe lived on the outer edges of the mountains, where their power was less powerful than at the mountain tops. The empire had cleverly caused fracture among the tribe with spies, then invaded as the women were too busy with their social status in the tribe to fight back. The empire had lost an entire column of men to an avalanche, but it only caused harsher measures against the survivors. She had been tortured, broken then sold as a slave. Ygar gad been the one who bought her, and showed her that all the empire wasn't just scum hiding under the cover of "civilization". In a sense, Ygar and Velgard both had been her window to the outside world.

Thanks to them, she had forgotten the narrow view of the world her mother had instilled in her. It was thanks to them, and more particularly to Ygar that she wasn't stuck in a frozen waste, fearing for her life being taken by one of the many female rivals in the tribe.

He was telling her about how he used to compete in archery with his brothers when he suddenly fell silent. And in the coming moments, she understood why.

Drunkards. Even if she didn't understand the language, the slurred way of talking, uncoordinated and inelegant laughs, irregular footsteps… It seemed alcohol had the same effect on humans no matter the world of origin.

She immediately grabbed the light and turned it down. Both stood silent as the noise approached. Unfortunately, they made their way down from the road and fell nearly face-to-face to the duo of mercenaries.

For some reason, it seemed extremely comical for the drunken group of four who burst laughing one after the other. They were quite young and didn't seem to wear some kind of uniform, all with a bottle in hand. One of them seemingly more daring than the others stepped forward and tried to hug Ygar while speaking incoherently.

"_Koko ni gaikoku hito ni kite, watashi wa anata ni ikutsu ka no ai o ataemashou!"_

Obviously, Ygar pushed him back. He didn't want to have to deal with a group of drunkards right now.

"We're leaving, Olva. Leave a message we're going north."

"_Oi!"_

The snow wych took out two small square pieces of metal from a pocket and left them on the ground. Leaving a written message would be too obvious, so they had devised a system where the symbol on the metal signified a cardinal direction, and the number of square metals signified the distance. Here, she left two pieces with a triangle on them, signifying they left north for about two leagues.

"_Yarō, watashi o mushi suru no o yameru!"_

Ignoring once more the drunkard, Ygar packed his gear, but made sure to be able to take out his axe from the backpack at any time. You never know.

_«Ōi, watashi wa anata ni hanashite imasu !»_

This time, the drunkard grabbed Ygar's shoulder and tried to force him to turn around. Tired of him, Ygar did turn around but pushed him back hard, making the drunkard stumble and fall on his bottom. As Ygar turned once more to make sure the straps of the backpack were secured, Olva's voice rang out.

"Oh no you don't!"

The sound of magic being cast filled the air, and suddenly one of the drunk men cried out. He was holding his hand which was already turning white because of the cold, and a metallic sound on the ground grabbed their attention to the knife he had been holding. She contemplated attacking further, but decided not to.

She was no murderer. She was a mercenary. These people were probably just a group of friends enjoying an evening, and she would have felt bad about punishing with anything worse the act of a man under the effect of alcohol. The three other otherworlders were looking at her with fear in their eyes.

"Bouh…"

Her soft voice made them flee screaming, the injured one somehow following, both screaming and crying.

"Thank you, Olva…"

She nodded to Ygar, then both took their packs and followed the river north.

* * *

"_Today is a great day, mister Watanabe, don't you think?"_

"_Ah, surely miss Hano! Today we see the exclusive footage of "the other world"! If this isn't exciting then I don't know what is!"_

Tonight, everyone in Japan was tuned to NHK world. Or even, the whole world was tuned to it. This was for a very simple reason: under the incredible pressure of both national and international origin, the Japanese government had to do something to ease everyone. Revealing that the first drones they sent showed "a new world" as well as promising some footage of it had been enough to ease the tensions. The TV channel NHK world had gotten the exclusive rights to the diffusion of said footage. The male presentator who had been filling the blanks looked at the left of the screen, the focused back at the camera.

"_Ah, finally! Dear countrymen, dear foreigners, we have sent miss Shinomura, an esteemed colleague of ours to the other world along with a small crew. She will be the first one to give her impressions, and we applaud her courage. Of course, a JSDF squad will join her in the first steps of mankind in a new world! Aaaaaaand, the live is on!"_

The screen turned to a picture of the now famous gate. It hadn't changed, still made of white marble and greek and roman style mixed together. It seemed the camera was set up on a car, with a woman on the side of the picture. Her name showing up on the screen was Nonoka Shinomura. She took a moment to inhale, exhale, then started to talk.

"_Mister Watanabe, Miss Hano, it is a pleasure to represent NHK world today! I will be passing this gate shortly along with second lieutenant Itami Youji and diplomat Koji Sugawara who has been sent to open negotiations should there be someone on the other side! "_

She approached the second lieutenant and was about to ask him a question, but something grabbed her attention on the side of the screen and she turned back to face the camera.

"_Well, we're going in! I'll meet you on the other side!"_

The camera followed her movements as she got in the military car along with the soldiers. The camera man was the last to get in. The engine rumbled, and the car slowly got inside the gate.

Then, the void.

Literally.

There was nothing to see, only a black horizon extending on all sides. The only points of interests were the gate they had just passed, and a source of light somewhere in the horizon. The car stopped as everyone took some time to comprehend where they were. Then they resumed their journey to the far light.

The car headlights showed nothing, only the mysterious black surface. One of the soldiers took a flare gun and shot to the side, but the flare flew as far as it could then fell to the ground with nothing to stop it.

The journalist in the car asked questions to the soldiers to fill up the silence, but they weren't really talkative. All she learned was that they were excited and apprehensive, and that a long and solid rope had been tied to one of the columns back in their world and to the car should they get lost. Sending a plea for help at the camera to her fellow journalists, the two presentator understood immediately and started talking.

"_So, what do we know about this gate?"_

Most of that had been said and repeated over and over in the news channel in the whole world, but it was better than complete silence.

"_Well, not much. The scientists sent by the government to study it are sworn to secrecy, and they seem to uphold that oath really well! But there's been speculations, and many famous scientists have given their theories! Some speak of teleportation, some of warp gates, some of time travel, some even of magic! It's hard to say which is right and which is wrong, and that's why we'll welcome our specialist, Mister Tanaka!"_

A man joined the duo of presentators on the screen and joined them in speculations. Ultimately, everything had been already said, so only the rare newcomers paid attention. After roughly twenty minutes of uneventful driving, they reached the light they had saw earlier.

It was a gate too, identical to the one that had opened in Tokyo. A blinding white light poured out of it. The car stopped in front of it, the silence only broken by the gentle rumbling of the engine. All looked at one another. The soldiers to the soldiers. The journalist and the soldiers. The camera man and the soldiers. The diplomat and the journalist.

It was a historical moment. Two worlds would meet today. A lot of feelings clashed. Hope? Uncertainty? Anxiety? Adventure? But one thing was certain, it was that the whole world was watching them. Everything could change based on how they handled this first contact.

The driver gulped and gently switched gear, driving the car forward. The light intensified, blinding everyone until they finally reached the other side.

It was night time. An unpolluted sky let the stars light the earth and gentle hills rolled the earth. On their side, a completely dark forest hid its secrets. The gate seemed to open on the top of a hill.

Of course, the air has already been analysed as breathable. As the soldiers got out of the car and started to analyse for threats, something made them perk up their ears. As the engine of the car was killed and everyone focused on their hearing, they recognized the noise.

It was barking. And small bells noise. And bleating.

Yes, without a doubt, as their eyes adapted to the darkness they saw a flock of sheep grazing not so far away. And nearby, a humanoid figure was turned towards them. One of the soldiers turned on his flashlight in the direction of the figure, and everyone held their breath.

Fur.

The figure was covered in a light brown, almost ginger fur. A simple green dress covered its body, and a gentle bulge at the chest revealed its gender. But most surprising of all was its head. It wasn't a human head. It seemed to be more a vulpine head than anything else, with large ears perked up on top. Her lower face was a snout and her canines gleamed in the artificial light. The fact that a tail swished back and forth behind her was also surprising.  
Seeing that Itami and by extension the entire otaku population of the world rejoiced. Monster girls were real!

She dropped the cane she was holding.

_« __... Quis tu quis es? Angeli?__ »_

Sugawara raised his voice.

"I'm here on behalf of the japane-"

As he tried to step forward, the strange woman stepped back, clutching the cloth of her dress.

"_Milo, huc veni!"_

Immediately, the dog who had been guarding the sheep came at his mistress' side, growling at the newcomers. No one moved in this tense atmosphere. Obviously, the soldiers didn't see her as a threat so they simply observed. The camera man on the other hand made sure not to lose a single frame of this completely unknown form of life.

As Sugawara tried to speak once more, she screamed, scrambled at her feet to grab her sheperd staff and then ran away, followed by the dog who continuously barked.

The first contact… Couldn't be said to be the best one.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend :/**

**Here's some answers:**

**Roblu321, ArchineerRob: Thank you! Comments like there are what keeps me going!**

**Dalradia: oh, it will. Although I have no plans to write the empire's invasion, I plan to stop when the mercenaries finish their mission since the invasion has been written, rewritten and re-rewritten so many times. But who knows, maybe i'll change my mind.**

**Feerzo14: It always bugged me at how a seemingly so powerful military force that is the empire doesn't have common sense like that when it comes to warfare. Guess we'll have to pin that to the original author who wanted to paint the empire as bad guys, and nothing more. Which is a shame, GATE could have been much better.**

**Kirov of the USSR: Oh, maybe they'll get what they deserve. Maybe not. Who knows?**

**Thanks for the kind comments everyone, and see you next publication!  
(I'll release it on time I swear _(totally not wasting my time on_ _Mordhau_))  
**


	5. Chapter 4: Grand discoveries

**CHAPTER 4: GRAND DISCOVERIES**

Velgard pulled in the hood covering his face as a group of teenagers passed him. He had thought he would be discovered quickly, but it turned out he wasn't the only one dressing so shadily. He had seen a few humans with a hood on and a white burning stick in their mouth. If one didn't pay attention to his feet that didn't share the same anatomy, then he was just a high and bulky human.

The smell of the burning stick assaulted his nose, reminding him of some herbs some people liked to burn in pipes. But at least, these herbs didn't smell like death.

"The ideal would be to find the enemy stronghold…" whispered Gelt at his side.

The wolfman looked around him.

"This is a maze of rock and steel, it could take us days… "

The imperial silently nodded. So far, they had found what kind of weapons the guards used here as well as some bits of information here and there, but nothing that could really help the empire to invade.

Their task wasn't made easier by the fact that people here stayed so late outside. Didn't they have work to do tomorrow? Maybe they simply had bad luck and went into this new world as religious celebrations took place? It reminded Gelt the festival of Miritta and Warehun which happened each year in the empire. It was a period of festivities as spring came which lasted five days.

That said, it was less bad than the night of the first day they had come here. That day, people had stayed in the street way past midnight.

"Do you see that?"

Gelt's train of thought was interrupted by Velgard and he looked at what he was showing him. Small paintings, but of extremely high quality, by the dozen. These cards were all stacked on a shelf in a nearby store, all with breathtaking sights on them. Some of them displayed a city, probably the one they were in, while some others displayed incredibly detailed buildings. Temples, towers so high the top couldn't be seen, bridges, scenes of night life... One of them even showed what looked like a building entirely made of gold resting in the middle of a small lake. While these people didn't seem like warriors, they seemed like incredibly skilled artisans. A worthy prize for the empire.

If there was one thing that Velgard had learned in their career, it was that items spoke more than a thousand words. A local lord might ignore you if you said you saw a group of orcs in the forest. But bring a tusk or an ear, and suddenly the entire local garrison is dispatched to get rid of them.

These pictures could prove extremely interesting to show to the senate and the Emperor. Unfortunately, Ygar had kept what remained of the currency they had stolen. Velgard was about to tell Gelt to abandon the thought, when another sight made him freeze.

Maps.

Loads of maps.

Some were on smaller scale, some showed an entire island while some others dwarfed the island to show an entire world.

Maps were incredibly useful military tools. Planning an ambush or a path to pass through a mountain range could be done, but by having a map the chances of survival increased drastically. Part of the empire's legendary military might was thanks to the fact that the Emperor himself always made sure to have a map of every country and every city in the imperial library. Accurate military maps were hard to come by, and having them fall into enemy hands was disastrous.

They simply had to get their hands on them. There was no way around. Velgard noticed one of the maps displayed smaller versions of real buildings that could be seen on the cards at different places, confirming his suspicion that this map in particular was the one of this very city.

Bringing it back might raise their reward, maybe even double it. There was no way around now, they had to obtain it. Unfortunately, all they had just seen was through a large glass, meaning people would see them if they tried to steal it.

"Gelt, we have to get them." Whispered Velgard.

Why such important objects were freely displayed escaped the imperial's mind, but he couldn't help but agree.

"Let's wait until there's less people…"

Both of them entered into a nearby backstreet. The place was cramped, stunk of human wastes and was filled with trash, but it was the ideal place to hide until there were less people in the streets. Additionally, it was right in front of the store they aimed to rob.

They didn't have to wait for long. The moon moved just a little in the sky before the streets emptied, and the man who was seemingly the owner got out and pulled an iron fence over the store front. Checking that the street was indeed empty, Velgar was the first to act. He crossed the street in seconds and grabbed the man as the iron fence was half-pulled. He immediately ducked under it and entered with Gelt behind him.

The store owner was probably too surprised and shocked to even react and didn't even try to avoid as Velgard violently hit his head against a bookshelf corner, rendering him unconscious. Gelt had given one last look to the street before closing the door.

Velgard raised his snout, loudly sniffed the air and scowled. A puddle of human wastes had formed under the slumped form of the store owner.

"Let's hurry, I don't want to stay here too long." He said.

"It is a wonder you aren't used to such smells. Don't dogs relieve themselves outside?" responded Gelt with a grin on his face.

Velgard's answer was immediate. From the folds of his vest he took out the knife he had hidden and thrust at Gelt. The imperial jumped back just at the last second, avoiding a certain death.

"Don't. Ever. Call me. A Dog. Again. Understood?"

His growl certainly added weight to his threat and the madness in his eyes forced the imperial to stand down. He knew how much soldiers the imperial army had lost when assaulting Barghest fortresses, and he didn't want to fight one alone. Clearing his voice, he grabbed a cloth bag nearby.

"Let's get these maps…"

Velgard looked at the imperial with anger in his eyes, then grabbed a bag and did the same. For a few minutes, the store was only filled with the sound of paper being wrapped. As soon as everything that seemed important was taken, both left the store.

It took a few minutes, but a figure soon revealed itself. It was a woman, silently crying. She walked out from behind the counter, where she had crouched behind and stood still as soon as she saw the assault on her boss.

She stopped the recording on her smartphone. She had made sure to record the best she could from her position. She made sure her boss was still alive, then pulled him away from his undignified situation. As soon as he was outside and in a proper position, she called an ambulance and the police in quick succession.

* * *

The case wasn't advancing. At. All.

Gennosuke's work was being a police detective, but the more clues were found on the murder scene of the Fuyu family, the less it made sense.

There was still no explanation for the father and son who had been found frozen. No chemical substance, no trace of any machine and the bathtub hadn't been used recently before or after the murder took place. The refrigerator was free of any clue too.  
Just like the forensic scientist who had answered him first, it was literally as if the temperature had dropped to an incredible degree on this precise place, despite the fact that there was no way for it to happen scientifically.  
The autopsy had been given priority given the seriousness of the case, but it only confirmed the death by frostbite.

There was no explanation for the fact that strands of grey fur had been found and analysed as the family had no dog or cat, and confirmed to be Caucasian wolf fur. The neighbours had confirmed as well that the family never had a pet animal. This raised the question that maybe the attackers had brought an animal for the attack, but no other traces except for the fur had been found.

The study of the ballistics in the father's bedroom and confirmed his suspicions that he had only managed to shoot once, and all clues of the target were a few dark blue scales that had been found, no blood at all. That meant that somehow the target had been wearing something with dark blue scales, but again, it made little sense. Why would someone who wanted to kill sneakily wear something like scales? Simple dark clothes or at most a bulletproof vest would have been more than enough. A sample of the scales had been sent to a specialist, but there were no results yet.

Sighing, he buried his face in his hands and rubbed his temples. He had stayed all day at his desk at the police station to think about it, but the more he thought the less he understood. He wasn't the only one put on this case. On desks nearby were four other police officers, making phone calls and research on the internet.

So far, they had confirmed that the family had no trouble with criminals or a cult, and no neighbour had any mental disease. His four colleagues were as clueless as he was, and he could see it in their eyes.

"Everyone, let's take a pause…"

The four others sighed and followed him into the break room. There, he grabbed a coffee from the coffee machine and looked through the window. Behind him, one other officer sat and sipped on a cup of coffee as well, while the three remaining started a heated discussion about the "New world".

It had been a shock to the whole earth. Another plane. Another civilization. New forms of life. Each of these words rolled under everyone's tongue with mixed feelings. Most were excited. Adventurous. They wanted to learn all about it. Others saw opportunities for a new life. Others saw a world of dangers, and it was understandable.

The live everyone had watched on TV was fascinating. Most of the otaku population was on fire, having seen a real-life monster girl. That fox shepherdess had stolen a lot of hearts, and many artworks representing the "Fox shepherdess and her guardian dog" had sprung on the whole internet. The diplomat had tried to speak with her, but she ran away before he could say anything. For some time nothing had happened as the soldiers took various samples to be studied later. However, the live had ended in the most spectacular way.

One of the soldiers had spotted something flying in the air, going straight in their direction. Night vision goggles first warned the soldiers to raise their rifles. When it came close enough, the camera picked it up as well.

Dragons.

Damned dragons.

It was as if all the fantasy representations had come true. Each the size of a car with dark scales. A figure had been spotted on top of each dragon. Finger twitched on the trigger of each rifle as they flew, circling above. The atmosphere had been tense, and a question had been asked by one of the dragon riders towards them. Obviously, they couldn't understand the language. Sugawara tried to answer in multiple languages, but with no result. The same figure shouted something, and… Fireballs started raining on them.

There was no better term to explain it. The dragons started breathing fire on them, each fireball exploding on contact with the ground. Gunpowder spoke as the soldiers fought back, but in the total confusion no kill was confirmed.

Because of the lack of any cover or support, everyone packed in second military car as the first one was already aflame, and the driver sped back into the gate, back on earth. Fortunately, the only injuries were limited to second-degree burns that could be healed in any hospital

The whole world was in turmoil after that, and you would hardly find a single place where it wasn't discussed.

Of course, Gennosuke had watched the live as well with his family last night. But he was one of the few that saw danger in this world. Civilized or not, these dragon riders had attacked only after asking one question. As a man of the law, he couldn't oversee that as "self-defense".

No. These dragon riders had attacked without waiting for the answer of Sugawara's group. It seemed the Japanese government had come to the same conclusion as policemen were replaced by soldiers around the gate and the yellow police tape had been replaced by sandbags, machine gun nests and even a tank and two anti-air vehicles. And all of this just an hour after the group came back.

When coffees were drank and minds rested, it was time to go back to work. The detective and his four helpers spent the rest of the day studying recent crime reports on their computers, hoping to find similarities that may bind a report to the mysterious killers of the Fuyu family, but to no avail.

A bank robbery, rape case, a thief, blackmailing attempt… He studied every case paying attention each time ice/cold, cultist or yakuza was mentioned but ultimately these cases weren't his job, he only looked for similarities, unfortunately with little to no result.

Too tired to do anything else at the end of the day, he bid farewell to his colleagues and made his way home.

* * *

He was absentmindedly munching on his breakfast, still thinking about the murder case. He simply couldn't get it out of his mind. Even in his dreams last night he had nightmares made of ice, cultists, blood and worse things. It showed on his face.

"Something wrong, honey?"

At his wife's voice, he blinked his eyes and faced her smiling.

"Nothing wrong Aya, just… I can't think of anything but-"

She put a finger on his lips and smiled as well.

"No work at home, dear. We're all here for you, just relax."

Realizing the importance of her words, he looked at his daughter. A girl twelve years old, looking at him with worry in her eyes. Slapping himself mentally, he passed a hand through her hair and chuckled as she giggled.

He forced the case out of his mind and focused on the breakfast his wife had prepared, enjoying the family meal time. After dinner was eaten and the plates washed, the three Gennosukes sat in front of the TV (the whole family had a habit of waking up early, so they still had a lot of time to prepare for the day) and watched as the footage of the "new world" was passed over and over and more "experts" than stars in the sky gave their opinion.

At some point, as Taketa was playing with a hair lock of his wife, the voice of his daughter took him out of his reverie.

"He's speaking in latin…"

He had to do a double-take. The screen showed the now so-called "fireball bombing", so that meant the scene just before was the dragon rider asking a question to diplomat Sugawara. His wife clapped and a large smile appeared on her face.

"How do you know, sweetie?"

She excused herself and came back after a few moments with a notebook in her hands. In bold letters was written "LATIN LESSONS" on the front. Taketa felt quite ashamed as he had completely forgotten how his daughter was passioned by archaeology, she had already decided what she wanted to become later, and had asked her parents lessons in ancient languages in order to do that.  
It was now her third year studying latin. She waited for a few minutes and as the footage showed once again the dragon rider asking a question, she noted something in the notebook. Then, she took a few moments to flip through the pages and then showed them the translation. It was written "You're on imperial territory, foreigner, state your business or die."

He was frankly impressed and joined his wife in clapping as the little girl beamed with pride.

"How do you say it, sweetie?" he asked.

"_Imperii vestri 'a peregrino, moriatur aut statum vestri negotium__ » _She answered.

He couldn't be prouder of her right now. But as he thought about it, the words… Reminded him something. Something he had watched yesterday, at the police station. And then as he thought harder, it came back. It was one of the minor cases he had checked, one that concerned the robbery of a Tokyo souvenir shop (which for some reason the robbers had only taken all the post cards and the maps)…

He bolted straight up, surprising his wife and daughter. Both of them looked at him with interrogative eyes, but he rushed wordlessly out of the room. He came back with his work computer and turned it on, then feverishly entered the password, silently cursing when it didn't work the first time.

As fast as he could, he went into the "clues?" folder and rolled his finger until he found what he was looking for. A file in which was the detailed report of the souvenir shop robbery, the testimony of the witnesses as well as what he was looking for: the video one of the store clerks had managed to shoot while hiding.

"Akari, I need you to watch this video, and translate for me what they're going to say, alright?"

His daughter looked at him with uncertain eyes, but then firmly nodded and focused on the screen of the computer. The video started, quite blurry as the person who took it was trembling and in a bad position to record. But it didn't matter. What mattered was the sounds, and Akari closed her eyes to focus on her hearing.

It took twenty minutes and many video re-watching, but in the end she had managed to translate. And in front of him, on a mid-schooler's notebook was the answer he was waiting for all the time.

_"Ygar and Olva should still be by the river, let's join them."  
_

"_Let's go…"_

Almost with tears in his eyes, he grabbed his daughter and hugged her the strongest he could without injuring her.

"YOU'RE AN ANGEL AKARI!"

His shout had probably woken up the neighbours as muffled blows sounded through the wall, but he didn't care. Not wasting any time, he took out a map of Tokyo from his work files, marked the position of the robbed shop and then of the closest river.

Still under the curious look of his daughter and wife, he put on his coat and work shoes, then left despite still wearing only jeans and a t-shirt. While running to his car, he took out his phone and dialed up to the police station.

"Commander Keisuke! The Fuyu case, I know where the murderers were last night! I need patrols around the Ara river, and I'll investigate the Yaruichi bridge!"

As soon as his commander confirmed that he would send patrols where he asked to, Taketa turned on his car and made the engine roar as he sped to the police station. He needed to get his pistol before investigating, as it might reveal useful today…

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**I'd like to say one thing: it's normal if most of the chapter is focused on Taketa Gennosuke and his investigation. The scouting done by the mercenaries could be written as well I guess, but I don't want to write just a list of:**

**Mercenaries discover a new place/thing  
They are awed by the impressive feats of technology, wondering how it was done  
Rince and repeat  
**

**I mean, I could write that. But I don't think it would be interesting. Maybe that's just me, so if you think a particular place could be interesting to write being explored, please write it in the comments.**

**Next chapters shall be more focused on the mercenaries :)**

**I'd like to say that the support I'm receiving from everyone helps a lot, so thank you everyone!**

**See you next publication!**


	6. Chapter 5: To flee like a Falmartian

**CHAPTER 5: TO FLEE LIKE A FALMARTIAN**

After leaving because of the drunkard group, Ygar and Olva had found refuge in what looked like to be an abandoned shop near the river shore. It was closed by an iron fence, but lifting it up, breaking a glass pane of the door and pulling the bar which closed it from inside had been simple enough.

The inside was dusty, and a slight food smell as well as tables still laid reminded them of a tavern. Dust covered each piece of furniture and only the occasional gust of wind broke the stillness of the place.

Unfortunately for the two mercenaries, a short search had revealed all the cupboards to be empty save for a few cobwebs, forcing them to rely on their meagre travelling rations.

With discretion in mind they settled in a room deeper inside, one which had no windows. Its floor was made of white tiles and all manner of steel and iron furniture littered the place. As they had explored for a whole day and had to walk an hour more to reach this place, both were tired and Olva was the first to fall asleep, Ygar having pulled the short straw and stood guard.

He took a moment to put a visible blue piece of cloth on the front of the store to show Gelt and Velgard where they hid, then went back into the white-tiled room and started to rummage through the backpack full of goods they had stolen or obtained one way or another this day.

Under the light of one of the magical lights which Olva had understood how to turn on, Ygar started by inspecting the weapon that had been used against Gelt back into the house they had raided. Olva had stressed many times that she couldn't feel any magic in this world, but Ygar simply refused to believe it even though he usually trusted her.

The weapon, or as he liked to call it because of the sound made when used: Thunder Staff, was comprised of two parts. A metallic one made of two tubes and some kind of mechanism near the handle, and a wooden stock much resembling those of crossbows. With this in mind, he held it just like he would a crossbow: right hand on the wooden stock and left hand under the metallic tubes.

If his guess was right and this weapon was similar to a crossbow, then it meant that there had to be some sort of ammunition somewhere. No bolt or arrow could fit between the tubes, and he couldn't see any way to insert ammunition. He picked one of the red cylinders they had also brought back and tried to insert it in the tube, but a brass rim stopped it from getting inside more than a few centimeters.

A thing which caught his attention was a lever of sort near the metallic mechanism. When he pulled it, he momently panicked as the weapon broke in two. A whispered swear word and careful observation soon revealed that it wasn't broke, but the tubes which lifted were held with screws on the wood parts. One of the tubes had one of the red cylinders in it. Taking it out, he noticed how it was much lighter than the cylinder he had picked up just a second ago.

With a bit of apprehension, he put a cylinder in each barrel and closed back the mechanism. It fell loose, but by closing then pulling the small lever again it locked in place. For all he knew, he had a weapon ready to deliver death in his lap. As he didn't want to wake up the whole district by using it, he put it carefully back on the ground.

In order to not fall asleep while standing guard, he spent time to observe each item they had brought back with them. A small black brick, which lit up if you touched the glass it had on one side. He couldn't make any sense of what was written on the glass, but he still remembered how nearly every otherworlder had a similar thing. Some spoke in it, some tapped their fingers against it… Maybe there was a consciousness inside? Did they find a way to give consciousness to an inanimate object? The thought that they had found a way to imprison the souls of the dead crossed his mind, but he quickly put the idea aside as all souls went to the realms of the gods. To imprison souls would be defying the gods, and suffering their revenge. And a god's revenge came many times under the mantle of an apostle. No mortal could beat an apostle. Still confused at the object's intended use, he put it back in the backpack.

Many similar items made little sense in his head in how they worked or their use. A similar brick to the one he had just inspected, but larger. A minuscule clock on a leather band which he had seen people wear on their wrists. Tools that had no apparent use yet were sold in stores. It was a little overwhelming.

Fortunately, there were things that reminded him that both the Falmartians and the Otherworlders weren't that different. Soap, meat and vegetables, knives, forks and he had even noticed a few guards on horses. All of these lessened the feeling of being an alien to this world.

It was when he was praying to Emroy that someone knocked on the door. Three knocks separated by long pauses, then two quick knocks. Recognizing the code he had agreed on earlier, he walked up to the entrance and let in Velgard and Gelt.

"Quite the hiding spot you found us there…" Said Velgard as Ygar closed the door. "Smells of food. Must have been a tavern before."

"Speaking of food," said Gelt, "Let's eat something, I'm famished!"

Ygar led them into the room he had been occupying with Olva and passed them some supplies, namely a full waterskin and a cold gruel of multiple vegetables he had prepared before. Velgard grimaced before the content of the wooden bowl, but ate it all the same as Gelt.

Ygar waited for them to finish before waking Olva up. As soon as the bowls were cleaned, Gelt took out multiple papers from his bag.

"We can finally leave this god-forsaken land! Here's what we found."

Olva lit the light up and both she and Ygar stood in awe before what was in front of them. Maps. There was no explanation needed between the four concerning the worth of these items.

"Now we just need to find out where we are…" said Olva as the four studied the maps carefully.

Unfortunately, they didn't know how to use this map. There was a cross in a corner, but they didn't know which direction represented north, east, west or south. And despite the map's impressive accuracy, they had no idea where they were on the map. It took an unnecessarily long time, but by crossing memories and landmarks, they managed to somewhat make a plan for tomorrow. First, they would have to go south until they reached the bridge where they had rested the last day. Then, east until they reached the wooden area where they had slept the first night. Finally, they would have to follow the streets south until they reached the gate.

With no more energy to spare, Velgard, Gelt and Ygar fell fast asleep, leaving Olva the task of standing guard.

* * *

It was with brutality that they were woken them up from their dreams.

A light kick in the ribs for Ygar, a slap on the face for Gelt and a very rough shoulder shake for Olva. Before they could ask what was happening, Velgard who had picked the last guard round raised a finger to his lips. All of them listened quietly.

Someone was opening the front door of the building they had spent the night in. Fortunately for the mercenaries, as a Barghest, Velgard had an extremely sharp hearing and had woken up everyone on time.

_« Doa ga ōki sugita, chōdo-chū ni hairimashou » _said a first voice.

Peeking from behind a steel cabinet, Velgard managed to recognize two guards dressed in blue now entering without caring about noise. They both had a short black stick in hand from which a beam of light came out and left little opportunity to hide to where it was aimed at.

Velgard raised two fingers, and Ygar immediately responded by first pointing at Velgard then his short bow, then pointed to Olva and himself and then at the guards. As Gelt was about to voice some protests, Ygar raised a finger at his lips, pointed at him and then the ground.

Without waiting for an answer, the plan was sprung into action. While they still had the element of surprise, Velgar suddenly raised from behind their cover and launched two arrows in quick succession. The first hit the closest man's chest, and the second his throat. With his windpipe cut, the man died without uttering a single sound.

Surprised, the second guard immediately backed off while taking out a small boxy item from his belt, darting his light in Velgard's direction.

Ygar and Olva had sprinted in the second guard's direction as soon as the arrows had been let loose, but the sudden beam of powerful light right in their face forced them to close their eyes. Two loud bangs and something hitting his shield made Ygar trip on the ground while Olva reached the guard. He tried to back off once more and raise his weapon at her level, but she instead jumped into his arms and pinned him to the ground. Before he could react, she had already stabbed his heart two times and as he started to panic, she cut his throat.

As soon as she confirmed the guard was dead, she got up, walked up to Ygar and helped him to get up.

"Are you alright?"

Ygar took a moment to look over himself, passed a finger into the hole that had been punched into the wood of his shield by the guard's weapon then sighed in relief.

"I'm alright, but that was close! If my shield couldn't block that, I doubt I would have survived getting shot…"

Gelt and Velgard quickly joined them and stripped the guards from their weapon. It had a small wooden handle, a cylinder with a trigger underneath it and a small tube at the end. It didn't look like much, but Ygar's shield was enough proof of its efficiency.

"I didn't know you knew how to use a dagger, witch…" commented Gelt.

"Mercenary is dangerous work, imperial. You have to know a lot of things in order to stay alive. For example, where to stab precisely to avoid the ribs and hit the heart directly. Or which vein to cut to cause a crippling haemorrhage. Unfortunately, magic isn't everything…"

Looking a little uneasy at the way she glared at him while cleaning her blade on the guard's clothes, he cleared his throat and waited for her to finish.

"Let's leave" Groaned Velgard. "The sooner we're back in Falmart, the better it will be. Ygar, you remember where to go?"

Ygar took a few moments to remember what they had agreed on yesterday, then nodded.

"Yes, let's hurry."

And as the pool of blood spread on the ground, the three mercenaries and the imperial witness left the abandoned store.

* * *

"Sir!"

Taketa excused himself from the civilian he had been interrogating, then turned to the officer who addressed him.

"What is it?"

"There's been multiple reports of gunshots a little bit further up the river, and team five isn't answering!"

Immediately, the inspector's eyes went wide.

"What are you waiting for?! Quickly, have a car ready, tell team two to follow us and warn the other teams to be careful!"

The officer dashed to his car and Taketa followed him closely, while the second officer of team one turned on the engine. They waited for a minute for team two to show up and as soon as the car showed up in the mirror of team one's car, the engine roared as both cars sped along the river.

They soon reached a large group of civilians who were surrounding the entrance to a building and Taketa walked out while holding his police badge up as soon as the car stopped.

"Tokyo Police, everyone back off!"

The sirens along with his order were enough to open up a path which he took accompanied by three police officers while the fourth was already looking for the yellow police tape in the trunk of the cars. He stuck to the wall near the door and took out his pistol. One of the officers came behind him while the two others came on the other side.

It was a New Nambu M60. A simple five-shot revolver, but which had proved its effectiveness and reliability among Japanese law enforcers countless times. But most importantly, it was almost Taketa's hand extension. He had trained so much with it. Had learned its recoil strength. Had been taught how to use it even in disaster scenarios. Had disassembled then reassembled it even blind. He knew it even better than he knew his wife's pleasure spots. And he was a very, _very _sharp shot with it.

As the three officers prepared to storm the entrance, he noted the civilians hadn't gone away. Even worse, they had gotten closer, a lot of them having started recording.

"I SAID BACK OFF!" He roared. Multiple people flinched at the authority in his voice. "THIS IS A DEADLY AREA, YOU COULD GET SHOT IF YOU STAY THERE!"

Everyone scrambled away, and the running was even faster when more police sirens sounded in the distance. As soon as they were far enough, he made a hand movement and the officer in front of him put his hand on the door knob.

A second hand movement later, the door was burst open and Taketa was the first to barge in the building.

"TOKYO POLICE! HANDS UP!"

Only silence answered him. The three officers following him turned on their flashlights and sweeped the area. The light beams stopped on the two corpses on the ground, then resumed their search. Slowly, the four policemen advanced, darting their weapons on every hiding spot.

The building was an abandoned restaurant, it even still had a "Yuki's Food Heaven" sign on top of the counter on the right side of the room.

They methodically sweeped the main eating area, checking under each table and piece of furniture. When it was done, it was time to check the kitchen. The door was behind the counter. After quickly making sure that no one his behind the counter, the four policemen once more separated in groups of two on each side of the door.

Once the door brutally opened, Taketa barged in the kitchen, finger twitching in the trigger. Unfortunately (Or fortunately, depending on the point of view) the search bore no results. The displaced dust showed that a small group had been there very recently, but apart from that there was not a single soul. The last place was a small empty local which had a locked door to the outside, probably the garbage holding area.

The building was empty. There was a first floor, but it was closed with a locked door and the dust on the knob showed that no one had touched it recently.

"DAMN IT!" Raged Taketa.

They were here! At his reach! Should he have come just five minutes earlier, he may have catched the murderers!

But most of his anger wasn't directed at the murderers.

No…

His anger was directed at himself.

He came back to the entrance and with a soft hand, closed the eyes of the dead officers in front of him. HE had caused these deaths. People may say it was the job's risks. People may say it was normal to dispatch officers when looking for clues.

But ultimately, he had been the one who directed them in this place. Two police officers, sacrificed on the altar of justice. The one closest to the entrance had stab wounds on his chest as well as his throat, while the second had large holes on the chest and in the throat too. At this stage, he couldn't tell what had caused these.

He was angry at himself, but right now he had a job to do. Even if they had escaped, the murderers couldn't be that far yet. He would at least try to avenge their deaths. Fortunately, he was blessed with competent officers at his orders.

While he was searching the building, many other police cars had come and delimited the area with yellow police tape. He could hear the sirens of an ambulance approaching, but he had saw this kind of injuries a few times during his career. These two policemen were dead and unless a miracle happened, they would stay so.

"Inspector Gennosuke!"

He recognized the voice of officer Yuna Kanamori. A woman, a girl in his opinion, who had been recruited as soon as her studies had been completed with brilliant results. She had been a trainee at his side for a year now, and had helped him on many cases. She had short bob-cut hair and a pair of glasses on her nose, with a cute face underneath. Her police uniform accentuated her womanly charms, and should he have been unmarried and twenty years younger he would have flirted with her without hesitation. However, they had built a healthy senpai-kouhai relationship over time.

Busy with his investigation as he was, he had completely forgotten today was the day she came back from a short trip to visit her family in the countryside. He made his best to smile.

"Kanamori? I wish I could have welcomed you back under better circumstances."

She smiled as well.

"Don't worry inspector, I wish too. I asked the neighbours, they saw a small group of people leaving the building just before we came in that direction." She said as she pointed further up the street.

"What?" He couldn't believe his ears. Such a stroke of luck! "You there! I want everyone to lock up the district! No one is to leave, we may catch them! Kanamori, team one and team two get in the cars and hurry!"

The officer who he had been addressing acknowledged the order and started giving orders on his car's radio, while he went in the back of team one's car with Kanamori. The engine came to life, the sirens blasted away and the chase began.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Again, sorry for the delay. I'm quite busy right now, and next chapter may come a day or two later too.**

**Answers:**

**Mail Lambong: Thank you! Doing as you said actually helps me in describing those!**

**Just a reader: Hehe, I think we watched the same videos when I was doing my research for this chapter, but I have a few points to how I wrote the empire in GATE.  
First we would have to consider that in history, while the Roman Empire was very large, it wasn't invulnerable. In the british isles, the Romans couldn't beat the tribes. Hell, they even built the Hadrian Wall because they were afraid of these tribes! And the video on Invicta explains also why they didn't use maps.  
BUT, this is the Empire from GATE we're talking about. It's true that they have a heavy Roman inspiration. However, the Saderan Empire has conquered like 80 or 90% of the continent they're on! The Roman empire couldn't conquer a whole continent. That's why I like to think that the Saderan Empire is more advanced than the Roman empire on the topic of warfare. Hence why the use of scouts (to know where and when to attack instead of a more traditional warfare) and the use of maps.  
I agree that maps can't be precise without a bird-eye view. But here's the thing: magic exists in GATE. I assume it would be easy for a druid or an elf to possess a flying animal and draw a pretty accurate map from this. But I also know that magic users are pretty rare, explaining why these accurate maps are precious for the Empire, and why having them fall into enemy hands is disastrous.  
It's a shame how the way magic changes a society is ignored in most fantasy stories. It's easy to fall into the trap of "well magic exists, but the medieval society stays the same with only a few exceptions.". And I don't want to fall into that trap.  
**

**Kirov of the USSR, Guts and Toes, itsFAX: Well I didn't expect my characters to be so much hated lol. But that's a good thing, I didn't write them to be kind. Mercenaries be it from our world or another aren't kind.  
**

**And a big Thanks YOU for the support!**

**Have a good day, and see you next publication!**


	7. Chapter 6: The investigator's trap

**CHAPTER 6: THE INVESTIGATOR'S TRAP**

"Are they still on our back?!" Asked Gelt, panting.

After running away from the shop, things had gone bad really quickly. They hadn't been on the move for more than a few minutes when a sound they couldn't recognize had come from behind them. As they wondered what it was, a black and white iron chariot with red and blue lights spinning on top of it drove down the road and quickly catched up to them. A second iron chariot was following behind the first. The alien noise was coming from those.

Before the mercenaries could react, the chariots stopped near them and six guards had come out shouting, pointing in their direction the same weapons that the guards they had killed earlier had.

Fortunately, the mercenaries were veterans. In this type of situation, there was only one thing to do: running. Fighting would only waste time, and the more the mercenaries stayed in one place the more guards would gather around them and block the roads.

Another stroke of luck was that these guards didn't use their weapons when near other otherworlders. Powerful as they were, these weapons were as deadly on the Falmartians than on the otherworlders. Using this at their advantage, they had fled inside a nearby street using the crowd as a cover. Because of the density of the crowd the guards following them had to abandon their iron chariots and give chase on foot.

One last thing which allowed the Falmartians to maintain an advance over the guards was that they were used to travelling. Walking for days, even weeks to reach the destination of a contract be it on horse or foot gave them powerful legs which tired way much slower than the legs of someone just standing around all day waiting for a crime to happen.

Ygar glanced back, before slowing down to catch a breath.

"I think they lost us. But let's be careful, I wouldn't be surprised if other guards were looking for us."

As they slowed the pace, Velgard took a moment to assess their surroundings. They were in a street in which no iron chariots drove. Instead, humans flooded the area, buying and selling in shops on each side of the street.

They were still wearing the civilian clothes stolen from the house which allowed them to stay somewhat inconspicuous (Velgard's size was still fairly larger than an average human and if one looked closely you could see his wolf-like face in his hood), but now the guards knew how they dressed as well. And to add insult to injury, as they had to run away without thinking they now didn't have a blasted idea of where they were.

And of course, going back to find the bridge where they had rested was out of question. So they walked forward along the street, carefully looking for blue-dressed guards.

They eventually reached what they could only describe as a market. Rows and rows of stalls selling vegetables, meat, fish, cheese but also clothes, cutlery and many items they couldn't recognize.

Maintaining a fast walking speed, they entered the market, skilfully avoiding the crates on the ground and the civilians.

"You're too slow, Gelt." Commented Olva.

The imperial's eyes immediately went wide.

"Are you insulting me, witch? I'm a centurion in his imperial's majesty army!"

"Look at yourself, then look at us." Answered Olva while grinning. "You may be an observer, but if you can't keep up, I'm not saving you."

Hearing this, Gelt took a moment to look around. He was still panting, slowly recuperating, while the mercenaries were fine despite the chase and the heavy backpacks filled with loot on their back. Pulling in his legs, he catched up to the tree mercenaries.

"I'm a commander, not a foot soldier." Was his only defence.

Still on the lookout, the kept on going deeper into the market. But the guards knew where they were as well. The first two guard they saw patrolling were avoided by hiding behind the white cloth of one of the stalls. The shopkeeper looked at them strangely, suspicious as they were, but said nothing.

As soon as the patrolling guards had turned at an intersection the group went back on track, speeding up the pace. The crowd was even denser than back on the street, but they forcefully pushed their way. The sound of angry shouts and threatening fists from the civilians accompanied their push.

"Wait!"

Ygar raised his hand and immediately stopped. The three other mercenaries bumped into him at the abrupt order.  
In front of them were two guards as well. They were speaking with a civilian, with their back to the mercenaries. They hadn't been spotted yet.  
But that wouldn't last.

One of the civilians, a man with a large beer belly turned to them and raised his voice, pointing at them with his finger.

"_Nē! Watashi wa anata ga dokokarakitano ka wakaranaiga, anata wa hitobito o osu no o yameru hitsuyō ga aru, sore wa kikendesu!"_

Encouraged by the man's boldness, similar shouts came from the crowd around them. Shouts which were getting louder.

Loud enough to attract the guard's attention.

"RUN!"

As Ygar's order, the mercenaries broke into a sprint, speeding past the guards while they gave chase. Glancing back, Olva noted that while running they spoke in a small black box. Magic? Where they preparing to cast magic? Mages in Falmart used many cataclysts. Most of them used a staff like she did, but some preferred wants, orbs made of materials with magical properties or even bones and animal parts. With that in mind, it wasn't unreasonable to think that they prepared magic.

But one thing reassuring her was that she couldn't feel any magical energy coming from them. In fact, she couldn't feel any magic in this world, and has stressed that fact to her companions multiple times. However, given the almost miraculous sights of this world it was easy to understand why they didn't completely believe her.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Ygar's shout.

"Watch out!"

She got brutally tackled to the ground, as a group of guards that had been waiting at a corner ambushed them. While she was on the ground, numerous other guards acted similarly on the remaining members.

One guard rammed into Ygar from the side, sending him to the ground and another quickly approached with handcuffs in hand. Not intent on finishing in prison, he immediately stuck his fingers into the guard's eyeballs. Ygar pushed the guard who was screaming in pain back and swiftly avoided the handcuffs which closed on empty air from the second guard. He dropped the handcuffs, took out a short black stick and launched an overhead hit, forcing Ygar to block with his forearms. The pain exploding in his arms showed that the black stick was way heavier than it looked like, but Ygar was not a mere man. He was a veteran mercenary of many battles, and he had suffered much worse. Still on the ground, he brutally kicked the guard's feet, forcing them both on the same level. He then took out a short knife he had been hiding in his clothes and stabbed the guard's shoulder.

With his two opponents both screaming in pain, Ygar quickly got to his feet and assessed the fight. People were screaming left and right, and more guards could be seen running into their direction, while the sound of the alien sirens they had heard earlier echoed in the streets, seemingly more numerous each few seconds. They still had a few precious moments as the crowd was slowing down the guards, but the more they waited the less chances they had to flee.

Quite expectedly, Velgard was doing fine. Of the three guards that had attacked him, one was already fleeing, holding his bloody arm in his other hand. The second guard was rolling on the ground, trying to stop the blood flow from the deep bite mark on his left shoulder, and the third guard was now trying to avoid the same fate as the two others.

Olva was against two opponents, but she was doing fine, for now at least. With her dagger she blocked and avoided the black sticks skilfully.

However, Gelt wasn't doing good. Despite being an army man, he didn't get the occasion to unsheathe his sword and three guards were restraining his limbs while a fourth was getting ready to close the handcuffs onto his second arm. Ygar immediately jumped in his direction and kicked an unsuspecting guard's chin. Bone cracked, and the guard fell to the ground seemingly unconscious.

The guard which was preparing to close the handcuffs launched a fist, but the telegraphed strike was easily parried and riposted, sending him back a few steps. The two other guards tried to attack him, but when they saw the knife Ygar had taken out from his earlier fight they stepped back, remaining ready to launch an assault.

Holding the three guards at bay with the threat of his knife, he helped Gelt back up.

"Gelt, make sure our back is still clear, we'll need to run really fast in a few moments!"

The imperial nodded, but took some precious seconds to open his backpack and unsheathe his _spatha. _He didn't have the occasion to show it, but he was quite skilled at using it and now that he had his blade in hand, he was ready to fight at full capacity.

"Velgard, we have to go!"

The barghest gave one last swing with his claws, and the last guards attacking him fell screaming, holding his bloodied face. Velgard then swiftly caught his bag then started to run in the direction Gelt had already took. In a moment of inattention, the three guards Ygar had been keeping at bay attempted to attack him but he surprised them by kicking the first in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground while the second's strike was parried by the knife. With his other hand, Ygar tried to grab him in order to smash his face against his knee, but the guard stepped back. The third one retreated once more after seeing that.

Olva had finished as well. One of the guards facing her was backing away with a deep bleeding gash on his legs and the second one was covering his retreat.

"Hurry!" Said Ygar, more alarmed each second as now that the crowd was thinning, some guards were taking out their fire weapons from their belts. There were still a few civilians in the line of sight, but it wouldn't last long.

She grabbed her bag, and ran behind Ygar. They now ran without any sense of direction, simply choosing the path that seemed the less dangerous. Eventually, they made it out of the market into one of the more common streets, with sidewalks and a road for the iron chariots in the middle.

They made it out, except Olva. She was the last of the group, running behind Ygar. As she was about to step out in the street, one of the guard caught up and jumped on Olva. Both fell to the ground in a flurry of groans, hits and shouts. Olva managed to separate herself from her opponent and got up, raising her dagger into a defensive position. The guard in front of her got up as well, and Olva was surprised to see it was a woman.

Her opponent didn't have any apparent weapon, but she raised her fist and assumed a pose that left little openings for Olva to strike. Despite not being a main melee fighter, the wych could see that her opponent wasn't to trifle with.

Olva raised her dagger and tried to stab the woman in the arms, but her opponent nimbly caught the blade, and before she could react the woman turned on her heels, launching a frighteningly powerful kick that connected with Olva's shoulder.

Pain exploded in her arm, and she dropped the knife she had been holding. Still stunned, surprised and shocked at the strength of the kick Olva didn't block in time the fist hitting her other arm. But this hit wasn't as powerful as the previous one. She looked at the fist. Her opponent was holding a small rectangle black box, with two small metal bits sticking out at the end. And she was smiling. Then, she pressed a button and Olva's world exploded in even more pain. All of her muscles suddenly tightened, she found herself paralyzed, then fell unconscious.

"Olva!" shouted Ygar. He had been watching the fight, but he couldn't help as more guards had interposed themselves between him and her. Velgard grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Don't do it! We can't help her for now, but let me work my own magic, trust me and run!"

Trusting his old-time comrade, Ygar broke into a run after Gelt while Velgard quickly opened a sash at his belt and took out a small clay pot, then threw it in Olva's direction. Without looking for the result, and broke into a run as well, catching up to Ygar.

* * *

It was merely an hour later that Gennosuke found himself in front of the interrogation room the woman they had captured was in.

Unfortunately, they had lost the three other murderers inside a large mall. Patrols had been quickly set up in the area, but to no immediate result. In order to optimize the repartitions of the teams, Gennosuke had went back to the police station with the unconscious woman for interrogation. On the way, he also called the hospital which had took the seven policemen after the arrest attempt. Five of them were gravely wounded, one of them being between life and death and two others were wounded but could get easily healed. With a grave look, he added these to the already heavy tally of these murderers.

Upon arrival he took the time to change back into a proper police uniform and quickly question her, but she didn't seem to understand Japanese or English. With what his daughter had told him this very morning, he had contacted a nearby university for someone fluent in latin.

Him, Kanamori and an officer ready to take notes were behind the two-way mirror, watching the woman taking in her surroundings. She pulled on the handcuffs restraining her to the table bolted on the ground, but quickly abandoned the idea. She was wearing a pair of jeans, sports shoes and a bright green t-shirt with a blue vest on top. Not the fanciest combination for sure. Her skin was unusually light and as he took a closer look he was surprised at her eyes. They were ice blue, almost white. She had long hair, braided into a ponytail which reached her back.

"What was on her?" Asked Gennosuke.

Kanamori pulled a clipboard from under her arms and listed everything.

"A large knife, a leather bag, travelling supplies, fur and cloth clothes and what I can only describe as… Cultist… Stuff…"

Taketa raised his eyebrows. Kanamori was very professional when working, and it wasn't like her to be so evasive.

"What do you mean by cultist stuff?"

"Well… I'm not too sure myself. You should take a look."

She grabbed a cloth bag from the ground and put on a nearby table its content. And indeed, the best way to describe it was "cultist stuff". Small bones engraved with mysterious runes, various dried animal parts, small tusks, a ritualistic curved knife, a wooden box with various crystals inside and a wooden staff with a crystal on top. Taketa picked up the staff and looked closer, but it was exactly what it seemed like.

"Well, it's not the first time I hear about cultists, and I saw stranger things coming from them." He said as he put back the staff on the table. "Did he arrive?"

"Actually yes." Answered Kanamori. "He said he would be here by now. I'll bring him."

Kanamori left the room, and came back after a few moments with a man behind her. He was quite old, wearing a brown work suit and black shoes. Taketa stepped forward with his hand extended.

"Professor Hakino I presume? Police investigator Taketa Gennosuke."

The man accepted the handshake.

"Well mister Gennosuke, I never would have imagined policemen would need the help of someone from the Tokyo University of Arts and Letters. How may I help you?"

Taketa pointed to the woman behind the two-way mirror.

"I understood you give latin lessons, professor Hakino. This woman here speaks latin, and I need a translator."

Surprise was painted all over Hakino's face, but he simply answered "alright" before following Taketa and Kanamori to the interrogation room.

The woman stared at them as they took their positions: Taketa sat in front of her, Hakino slightly behind him and Kanamori standing near the door, watching closely in case she got violent. Taketa couldn't help but frown his nose at the smell coming from her. He hadn't been there, but Kanamori has said that before the three other murderers fled, one of them threw a clay pot at the woman which broke upon contact. The content was some kind of green juice and had an extremely powerful pine tree smell. It was so strong in fact that Kanamori and the nearby police officers had to pinch their noses to avoid throwing up their breakfasts at first. Now, the smell had subsided a bit.

"Tell her I'm investigator Gennosuke, and I'm here to receive answers. What's her name?"

Hakino spoke in latin, and surprise appeared on the woman's face. She probably didn't expect anyone to speak latin here. She answered shortly.

"She says she's named Olva of the Snow witch tribes. She also said that… Well, do you really want me to translate everything?"

Taketa nodded.

"Well… She said that she doesn't speak to dogs and that…" Hakino sighed. "That you must have had a dog somewhere in your bloodline to look the way you do…"

The investigator ignored the insult. It wasn't the first time someone swore at him during an investigation, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Ask her if she understands why she's here."

After a short back and forth, Hakino translated.

"She knows why she's here, and she will step down to a dog's level, but she wants water to drink first."

He sighed.

"Tell her she'll get it after the interrogation."

"She insists."

Suddenly, Taketa punched the table with his fist. He tried to be civil with her, but that was only because of the protocol. If it was his own decision, this woman would have been beaten for answers. Rage clearly showed on his face and he spoke through his closed teeth. He had little mercy for the likes of her.

"Tell her I have no reason to give anything to a coward murderer, and that unless she wants to spend the rest of her life behind bars she'll stop playing smart!"

The professor, probably more intimidated than the woman, gulped and translated.

"She… She says she'll tell you everything you want, but she wants water first…"

Taketa sighed. The silence was heavy in the small room, only broken by the light buzzing of the led light above them.

"Fine. Fine, fine fine. Kanamori, bring her a cup of water. I'll make sure it's the last favor she gets in a long time."

Yuna Kanamori nodded, but took one last look at the woman before leaving the interrogation room. She was smiling.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Managed to write the chapter on time. Surprised myself.  
Anyway, here are the answers to comments:**

**C V Ford: That's what got me into writing this fic. Wanted something a little bit different, and thanks!**

**rmarcano321: I'm not sure what you mean by theme. Elaborate a bit maybe?**

**Dreadcraft: I mean, that's exactly what the Empire did. Doubt the deaths caused by the mercenaries will count much in front of the hundreds of dead and enslaved by the empire. (Not saying it makes their acts less serious).**

**And for all the supporters in the comments, thank you! **

**See you next publication!**


	8. Chapter 7: A way out

**CHAPTER 7: A WAY OUT**

Yuna Kanamori quickly came back, holding a plastic cup of water in her hand. The woman, Olva "Of the snow witch tribes" didn't seem to move and just waited with a grin on her face. Why such a person would have a smile in her current situation eluded Yuna's mind, but she chose to ignore it. It wasn't rare for rich kids to expect to never get in trouble with the law thanks to their family connections. Maybe she was such a person?

She put the cup on the table, and returned to her position, near the door. Taketa waited, tapping his finger on the table with frustration. As Olva didn't seem to move, only carefully looking at the glass he got impatient.

"Tell her to drink that damn cup since she wanted it so bad, so we can go on!"

Professor Hakino told her in latin, but she ignored it, this time closing her eyes. Her mouth was opening and closing, as if she was speaking but no sound came out. Taketa's patience had come to an end. He brutally got up, punching the table with his fist.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" He roared. "EITHER SHE ANSWERS NOW, EITHER I'M GONNA PERSONALLY MAKE SURE SHE WON'T STAND UP EVER AGAIN!"

Hakino gulped, and quickly translated. Much to Taketa's surprise as he didn't expect her to actually say anything at this point, she answered shortly. The professor's face was painted with surprise and he turned to face Taketa.

"She said… Well, she said that you're a fool…"

"Wha-"

Taketa's answer was cut short as a weird feeling assaulted his senses. He looked around, but everything had seemed to stay the same. But here was the key word. "Seem". Something was definitely wrong here.

Kanamori and Hakino seemed to be in the same situation, as they looked at the ceiling and the walls with anxiety in their eyes. And when Taketa put back his eyes on Olva, he froze.

She was looking straight at him. With her white eyes, her black retina seemed like a well ready to engulf his soul. Her smile had changed to one of a mother, which was deeply disturbing considering the situation.

"What is she doing? Tell her to stop!"

"But I-"

Hakino's sentence was cut short as suddenly dogs started barking. The whole kennel was barking, whining, and howling. The kennel was the building just next to the jails and the interrogation rooms, so the noise was very loud. And the weird feeling only grew stronger, every second.

Suddenly, ice blue light poured out of Olva's hands. Taketa immediately stepped back along with Hakino.

"What the…"

A strong gust of wing came from her, and objects started floating. The clipboard Kanamori had dropped. Hakino's glasses. Tiny bits of concrete from the ground. The light from Olva's hands congregated on the cup of water in front of her, and the water slowly floated up, forming a sphere the size of an apple in front of her. Then, it separated into two and with an audible crack suddenly turned into ice, each roughly the size of a finger.

Taketa couldn't believe his eyes. What was… _that _?

She was still looking at him, and along her almost unbearable glare made a few finger movements. One of the ice spikes suddenly came down at a breakneck speed and crashed on the table. A quick observation revealed that it had pierced roughly half the thickness of the table.

It had pierced _two centimeters of reinforced steel. _It was easy enough to imagine what it could do to human flesh. The picture of his heart or his brain being turned to mush came up for a second, before he forced himself to forget it.

She spoke something, and Hakino quickly translated.

"She asks… No, she demands for the things that were taken from her to be given back, and to be set free. She also says that she won't hesitate to… Hum… To kill me, mister Gennosuke."

Taketa watched with horror as the last spike slowly floated just above Hakino's head. His face was one of pure terror, and he clearly was seconds away from crying his heart out. As much as Taketa hated her with all of his being, he didn't want to be the cause for another death. He took out a small key from his pockets with febrile movements, clearly showed her what the item was then slowly unlocked the handcuffs.

"Kanamori, as much as it pains me to do this, open the door and bring what was hers."

Yuna left the room in a hurry and Taketa kept watching her, wary of any sudden movement. She just sat here, with her insufferably smug expression.

"Tell her she won't get out of here alive if she goes on."

A short conversation in latin ensued.

"She says she doesn't think so. She knows how you operate, and even if she were to be hurt by, hum… the Fire crossbow? I believe she is referencing to your guns, she said that if she loses her focus the magic will go loose and… Kill me anyway…"

Hakino's speech was cut by sobs, but the point was driven clearly. She wasn't "activating" the magic. She was "Holding it back". Of course, she could be lying, but for obvious reasons this was the first time in history as far as Taketa knew that magic came to reality. For now, he had to trust her explanation.

Kanamori came back with a leather bag in her hands, and the first thing that Olva did was to grab the staff with a relieved expression. At the same time, the objects which had been floating around her dropped to the ground.

With an incredible rage boiling inside him, Taketa led the way to the outside.

* * *

It was with an incredibly pleased sigh that Olva grabbed her staff. She didn't show it to the guards around her, but using magic without a staff or any catalyst was very straining to the mind.

A staff was like a key which controlled the amount of magic power one wanted to use. Some rare mages preferred to not use one for various reasons, but having one made casting magic ten times easier. Casting magic "by hand" was like trying to fill a cup made of cloth rather than using a cup made of wood, steel or glass. The reason objects had started floating around Olva was because of the excess of magic power she couldn't control affecting her surroundings.

The headquarters of the guard was quite a large building, and as she followed the guard to the exit she carefully observed her surroundings.

Many guards seemed to be working, all with these blue uniforms. It was like a anthill, with people running around holding stacks of papers, talking in small black bricks, some were shouting, some laughing… This kind of effervescence she had only seen in war camps, usually just before the battle took place. And even if these guards didn't seem like warriors, right now she had the feeling she was in an army camp. It was mostly thanks to that activity that all the blue-dressed guards seemed to ignore her. Most of them at least. Subtly, she noted how a group of them which was becoming larger and larger was following them.

This in particular made her wary. She was certain that she wouldn't be shot until she let the hostage free. But she then remembered a golden rule that Ygar had told him when she had joined him and Velgard as a mercenary: "There is no certainty, always prepare for the worst."  
She couldn't simply ignore the possibility of the guards ignoring the hostage, so she looked for any opportunity, and she found it quickly.

There was a white rectangle, with a tube peeking out of it. One of the guards was filling a cup with water from the tube, the water seemingly coming from a large transparent bottle on top of the rectangle.

"You there! Tell them to give me that bottle" She said, pointing at the curious contraption.

The man who somehow knew how to speak Saderan had a short conversation with the guard in the lead.

"He says he can't, it's- HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII"

The man's sentence was cut by the pike of ice suddenly accelerating, and stopping just above his head. His scream motivated the guards more than enough who quickly brought the bottle in front of her. Now that she had her staff, she conjured the water to transform into a large ball of ice floating in front of her. Many surprised and shocked expressions followed that action, and she heard many steps back as with another finger movement she commanded the ball to separate into a myriad of small ice spikes. She then positioned them all around herself, pointing in every direction. That way, if something were to happen literally everyone around her would die. And given the expression of the man who had interrogated her, he understood it all too well.

So far, things had been going for the better, but it wouldn't last. As soon as they passed the glass doors leading to the outside, she found herself surrounded by a circle of guards. These ones had a black uniform which looked like proper armor, large helmets with a glass front protection and holding the particular black weapons of this world.

They had formed a half-circle around the entrance to what she could only assume to be the guard's post, and those at the front had what seemed to be a shield made of glass. But it was safe to assume it was made from another material, much more durable. Those at the back were pointing their staves at her, and she even noted two on top of the building in front of her, but they were too far and she couldn't see what they were holding.

The sound of the glass door locking behind her was like a hammer, sealing her fate. There was now only her, the translator and the guard which had interrogated her. By listening to the conversation and the translation, she had come to understand he was named "Taketa".

He took out his weapon from his belt and pointed it at her. He then spoke, and the translation came quickly.

"That's your last stop. Either you surrender right now and free the hostage, either you die. Your choice."

"Taketa, was it? I made a mistake. You're not a dog. You're less than a dog. You have no honor. Even pigs are useful, but you?..."

She knew too well the irony of her words, considering what she had done in this world. But currently, she was completely trapped. She needed to create an opportunity to escape, and angering this "Taketa" might be one. Even if she left her ice spikes loose, there would be more than enough enemies to turn her into mush on the ground.

"And you're a coward. You kill innocents, for what reason I do not know yet. But I will find out, and you'll pay for that. Be it from this world or from the other side of the gate, law applies with no difference. I'll personally take care that you're sent to the worst prison of japan. That you'll be given almost no food and water. That you'll suffer eternally for the lives you've stolen…"

Olva had stopped listening to the translation of what was being said to her half-way, as she had spotted something very interesting. All the guards in black armor were turned toward her. The guards in blue uniforms keeping the civilians away were also looking at her. In fact, every law enforcer of the area was probably watching her, ready to shoot at any moment. And she could see a figure sneaking behind them. A large figure, wearing a hood. She quickly recognized the clothes.

Velgard was here!

She didn't know what his plan was, but she needed to make sure every pair of human eyes in the vicinity were pointed straight at her. And for that, she had an idea.

"Maybe I have stolen lives, mister Taketa…" She began "But with what will happen later, you'll quickly forget about me. My world is one of magic. We bend reality to our will…"

She noted how Velgard had stopped behind an inert iron chariot, and was tying something to the end of some of his arrows.

"You can move chariots without animals pulling them. You can fly iron dragons… We can do it at the _mere thought. _Look at that…"

Weaving her will into magic power, she commanded to one of the many ice spikes around her to fly. It departed to her right, executing complex flying maneuvers. As this world didn't know magic, the show caught everyone's attention. The grip on their weapons didn't falter, but their attention definitely did.  
However, her magic show had a second purpose. As she guided the spike through the air, she watched behind it, looking for any way out.

The front of the guards's post was enclosed by a stone wall, with a place seemingly designed to put inert iron chariots in front of it. White lines on the ground delimited designated places, and in each place an iron chariot lied. This area was delimited by an iron fence.

To her right, a small iron gate was closed. It was only large enough for a single person. This would be her way out, once whatever Velgard was planning would be accomplished. If it was necessary. After all, she still had the upper hand in the negotiation.

"Listen here", she began, "I will get out, and you won't stop me. In fact, you will follow me to the exit. If a single one of you as much as makes a suspicious move, I'll end both you and the translator instantly. You will stop at the gate, and I'll keep going with the translator. If you do that, I'll promise that by the end of the day I will let him go unharmed. And of course, no one is to follow me. My magic will tell me if someone even leaves this building in the next hours."

The last part was completely made-up, as she only knew ice magic and rituals. Granted, the could make a Ritual of Surveillance that would warn her if someone with ill intents came close, but it required resources and time she didn't have.

The guard that had been doing the talking in front of her was clearly struggling between two choices. At the same time, a woman came close. Olva recognized her as the one had had taken her out. Anger flashed inside her, but she didn't say anything. She was tempting fate currently, and she didn't want to push it too much.

The woman came slowly, bringing her hands up to show she was unarmed. She spoke a short sentence to Taketa's ear, then slowly went back the way she came.

"All right. I agree to your conditions."

A little surprised, Olva let out a pleased sigh and made her way to the large iron gate leading outside, followed by the translator and Taketa. On the other side of the street, she could see that Velgard was leaving as quietly as possible, so she walked slow to give him some time.

The encirclement of black armored guards opened for her, and all watcher her leave in a deadly silence. As she disappeared in the corner of a backstreet, Taketa put back the revolver at his belt and watched as the members of the SAT (Special Assault Team) put back their gear in the trucks they came in. A set of footsteps sounded behind him.

"Do you think they know what a GPS tracker is, Kanamori?"

His aide came at his side.

"I hope not, Gennosuke_-senpai._"

He lightly chuckled.

"You know I don't like it when you call me like that. Just Gennosuke or even Taketa is enough."

"Yes sir."

A moment was spent, both silent. Around them, the police officers got back inside the station, preparing to track Olva on their computers.

"I have a long career in law enforcement, Kanamori. But I have to say it's the first time I'm dealing with criminals from another world."

Yuna nodded. After what they had heard and seen, there was no denying that this Olva woman and her companions came from another world. And with the gate that had opened in Ginza, it was obvious where they came from.

"But to see that magic exists… I'm a practical man, but I wouldn't have believed it without seeing it. Send the video footage of everything that happened to commander Keisuke, he'll know what to do with it. And us, we have work to do. Come."

Both of them got back inside the station, oblivious that what they were about to do would shake humanity's very foundations.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**For the end of this chapter, I wasn't sure if I wanted Olva to escape "diplomatically" or with action. As you read, I chose the peaceful way out. I figured that if my story was just a continuous set of action scenes, it wouldn't be very interesting.**

**Kirov of the USSR:** **Is that heresy I hear? *cocks boltgun***

**ceroxon:** **Well, sorry you don't like it, but the "part with the stupid spies" is literally everything my story revolves around.**

**last admiral:** **Well, when the last contact japan had with the other world was wyverns who were invulnerable to small arms fire, I don't think they're that raring to go without confirming 100% that they can send troops safely.**

**rmarcano321: ****What motivated me to write was being tired of reading, as another commenter said, "my fave military goes to wonderland" stories. I wanted something else. I'm tired of reading for the fifth time the "attack on ginza", the "battle with the fire dragon" and the "battle for Italica". And the theme? I didn't really think of one. And I'm not sure I can really give one.  
In the end, as much as "Japan discovers the other world" happens often, I wanted to write a "The other world discovers Japan" story.  
**

**As usual, I can't thank everyone enough for the support! **

**Have a good day, and see you next publication!**


	9. Chapter 8: Srung trap

**CHAPTER 8: SPRUNG TRAP**

Olva followed the figure of the hooded Velgard in front of her, a good distance apart as to avoid having someone think they were related in any way.

Of course, she had dispelled all the ice spikes around her as to avoid suspicion from the many civilians walking around them. Eventually, Velgard reached an area where one of the large glass towers seemed to be in construction. For now, it was only a skeleton of concrete, with all manners of yellow chariots and machines around. There was even an incredibly high steel contraption painted in yellow, which reached the top of the building. At the top, a perpendicular long walkway somehow stayed in one piece. The technological height the people of the new world had reached really impressed Olva.

She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then pushed the translator through an opening in the fence surrounding the building site. Thankfully, for some reason no one seemed to be working today. That might explain the substantial higher amount of people she could see in the streets. She then followed until she caught up to Velgard inside the husk of the future building. The first floor had concrete walls already so they had made one of the rooms into their temporary hideout.

Ygar was sat in a corner and Gelt was watching through a hole which would probably be a window in the future.

"We're here, Ygar." Said Velgard. "She managed to escape just fine. See? I was right."

Gelt glanced at her before resuming his watch, while Ygar put his relieved stare on her.

"Good, good. But you weren't _sure _she would escape."

"You still owe me."

Grumbling about a month's pay lost, Ygar flicked a shiny suwani which Velgard caught and put in his purse with a grin. Olva couldn't believe the sight.

"Did… Did you really _bet _about my escape?"

Ygar raised his hands in defence.

"The plan was to free you at night, doing it during the day would have been too dangerous now that they know our faces. Velgard just wanted to find the right building so we could prepare ourselves accordingly."

Olva's face lit in comprehension, but it didn't calm her anger.

"Speaking of which, how did you find me?"

Velgard tapped his muzzle.

"The smell."

She looked at him with curiosity in her eyes.

"Right before we fled, I threw one of my potions at you. A mix of Galeru leaf pulp, oil, pepper, and spices. The smell is so strong that a Barghest like me could smell you from one side of Sadera to the other. Humans don't have a good smell, so now that time has passed and the smell dissipated, they shouldn't be able to find us back. Unless they have dogs or some kind of other animals. And by the way, bad news Ygar. They have dogs. I heard them."

Ygar balled his right fist into his open left palm.

"Damn it all! We'll have to leave sooner then. We don't have much time."

"What do you mean?" Asked Olva.

"We wanted to leave through the gate this night, just after freeing you. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it gets. But now that you're here, we'll leave shortly. We just wait a bit to make them think we won't move, then we'll use Emroy's veil so they won't notice us. You still have it, right?"

She nodded. To lose such an artefact would cause a fate worse than death, and the first thing she had checked once away from the guard's post was to make sure it was still in her backpack.

"Well, we have some time then. Who's that human you brought with you?"

Everyone's attention came on Hakino, who had been awkwardly standing near Olva the entirety of the conversation. The sight of the wolfman hybrid in front of him was clearly terrifying him.

"He speaks Saderan."

Ygar had to do a double-take, Velgard froze for a second and even Gelt turned away from his watch to observe the newcomer.

"Say… Say again?"

"I was as surprised as you when I heard him, but it's the truth. He speaks Saderan. Hey you! Present yourself."

The man raised his eyes to observe the three men (two men and wolfman?) in front of him and raised his voice.

"I'm… I'm Touya Hakino. P-Pleasure to… Meet you."

A short silence followed these words. For a man of the new world to speak saderan opened many possibilities that had been impossible and laughable before.

"Where did you learn Saderan?!"

Gelt's question was met with a confused look.

"Wha… What do you mean Saderan?"

The centurion walked forward, while almost shouting.

"Saderan! The language we're speaking right now! Where did you learn it?!"

Intimidated, Hakino stepped back until he was stopped by a wall. Gelt was almost on him when he answered.

"In my youth, in the Sakura High School in Hokkaido!"

"Where's Ho-kay-doh?!"

"In the northern part of Japan!"

"Gelt…" began Ygar.

"What's Japan?!"

"We're in Japan!"

"Gelt!" forcefully shouted Ygar. His voice brought back Gelt to reality, who looked around. Ygar had his axe in hand, Olva was trying to pull him back from Hakino and Velgard was looking at the scene with amusement in his eyes. He didn't even notice it, but he had grabbed Hakino by the collar of his suit and was shaking him while getting his answers. A little bit confused, he stepped back. Ygar stepped in front of Hakino and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We won't hurt you as long as you answer to some of our questions. Is that alright?"

Hakino nodded with a trembling face.

"As you said, we're in the country of Japan. What is its military strength?"

Thankfully, as the tensions between Japan and China were getting worse, a lot of TV companies aired movies and documentaries about the Japanese army, and Hakino had watched one such documentary just a week ago. He remembered all the numbers. And besides, he had no problem telling public information, even if he didn't know who these people were.

"If… If I remember c-correctly, the Japanese army has about two hundred and fifty thousand s-soldiers…"

The number made Ygar go silent. Such a huge force… Even the Empire could hardly raise an army of over one hundred and fifty thousand. And even when it was done, the costs to feed and maintain such an army could bankrupt any kingdom in weeks if done without care.

"Are we talking a standing army, or a raised militia? Do they all have the black staves that shoot fire?"

"It's a… S-standing army. Black… Staves? D-do you mean RrrrRifles? Yes. Th-they all have one."

Ygar had witnessed what a civilian weapon could do, back in the house they raided. It was easy to figure that military models were much more powerful. If he could get his hands on one "rifle", then the reward would get exponentially higher. Olva pushed him aside.

"What about magic? What kind of magic the people of this world can cast?"

Hakino looked at her with a confused face. Was it a trap? A trick question? Then again, he did see her do things out of the ordinary. He answered with a little apprehension in his voice.

"Mmmagic doesn't… E-exist here…"

This time, it was Olva that looked at him with a confused expression. She didn't feel any magic at all here, but it didn't mean it didn't exist. Ways to hide one's magic to other magic casters existed back in Falmart, so that's why she had assumed that she couldn't feel any. But for it to not exist? At all? This was a foreign concept to her. She had been bathed in magic since her childhood among the snow wyches. So much of her culture depended on magic. To cast light, to feed, to drink, to work… How couldn't it exist?

"What about apostles?" Groaned Velgard. "What kind of gods do they serve, and how many are they?"

The question was sound. In another world, it wasn't strange to think that there would be other gods.

"Religion? W-well, There's the Pope who r-represents Christianity in the Vatican, I g-guess you can include the D…Dalai Lama for Buddhism, and many… Islamic leaders. They re-represent the three big-biggest religions in our world… There's al-also a lot of… different currents for… Each religion."

That was quite a lot. Each apostle represented the trait of their respective god to perfection. A good example was Rory Mercury. As the apostle of the god of violence, war and madness she was the perfect soldier, capable of incredible physical feats and never tiring. Mortar Mobkis, the apostle of Duncan the god of smithing, could craft tools, weapons and armor that reached such a quality that even a simple farming hoe forged by him was expensive enough to buy a whole town. If each god had an apostle… The different currents probably referred to the different means to worship a god.

"What are the traits of "Christianity" and "Buddhism"?"

Hakino sent Velgard a quizzical look.

"What… What do you mean?"

"What do these gods represent? Fertility? War? Maybe an art? Nature?"

The confusion only grew between the two.

"Well… I…I don't know wh-what to say… It's more li-like a… philosophy? C-code of conduct?"

Velgard scratched his head with a confused expression. He didn't know what "philosophy" was, but a code of conduct? Were these gods worshipped for… Politeness? Good behaviour? This conversation was going nowhere.

"What about Japan's allies? Are they strong?" Asked Ygar once more.

"W-Well, there's the Uni…United states… They have th-the strongest military in our w-world, and are probably th… The most advanced technologically…"

The more Ygar learnt about this world, the more he worried. First, there was the numbers. Then, there was the equipment. And now, such a seemingly overwhelming foe had as an ally the strongest military in this world? It was hard to believe. It was _really hard _to believe.

"Are you lying?" He asked, as he raised his fist. Hakino stumbled back.

"No! No I'm not!"

"I don't believe you! Now tell the truth!"

"It's the t-truth I swear! Please don't hurt me ! » He fell on his back and protected his face with his arms. "I'm not lying! I b-beg you! I have a f… Family! It's the truth!"

From behind his arms, sobs sounded in the room, periodically cut by a quiet "I'm not lying" and "I beg you". This was the pathetically lowest a man could go. And because of that, Ygar made his decision. This wasn't the face of a man trying to fool you. This was a man who feared the unknown, and begged for his life. He was telling everything he could to save himself.

This wasn't the behaviour of a liar.

Ygar dropped his arms along his body and stepped back.

"Ask him anything you want, we're leaving soon. Olva, give him something to drink first."

He replaced Gelt and took the watch, while the three Falmartians took turns to ask questions about this mysterious world. From geography and politics to technology and religion, no theme was spared. Of course, it was only surface information, but it helped to paint a representation of this world. Most importantly, Hakino also taught them how to use the maps they had stolen. He told them where they were, where the Gate was and what the important landmarks were. Olva took careful notes of all that, as it was precious information for the empire.

When the sun moved and was at its highest in the sky, Ygar clapped his hands.

"Alright, we're leaving! Professor Hakino is it? I thank you for all the information, I thank the gods for our meeting. Unfortunately, we'll have to tie you up. Don't want you to go blabbing about us too soon. Velgard, you do that. Olva, prepare Emroy's veil. Gelt, see if the way out is clear."

It seemed as if the imperial was about to say something, but then left the room to accomplish his task. Given how things had ended last time he had refused the orders, he wasn't about to complicate the situation. A few minutes later, all things were ready and the quatuor under Emroy's artifact. Time was now to leave.

* * *

Unknown to the mercenaries, Olva had been followed the moment she had left the police station. Two officers dressed with civil clothes had been tailing her, and when it was confirmed they had stopped at a construction site, four civil cars each with two officers inside had come, one on each side of the site. Each police officer had an app on his phone that tracked the GPS tracker Kanamori had placed into Olva's bag.

They had been watching the site for close to two hours now, and nothing of note had happened. All the angles of the construction site were being watched, so she couldn't leave without being spotted. The two original officers who had been trailing her on foot had noted that she was following someone else. Along with the various witnesses they had heard, they had confirmed that the murderers were a group of four.

"Of course, they had to do all of that on a Sunday… I was supposed to go hiking with my wife today…" Said one of the officers. Along with his partner, they surveyed the southern side of the site.

His partner raised his eyes from the screen of the phone and looked at him sharply.

"Two of us died, six are wounded and two of those are between life and death. You mean to tell me you think so little about fellow policemen? What about the oath you took when you entered service?"

"No that's not what I-"

"We're not doing this for the pay. It's not "just a simple job" anymore. One of my best friends is currently in a hospital room because of them. A _whole family _has been murdered for no reason. I'm not about to let go away a group of…"

He didn't finish his sentence, as he couldn't find a swear word expressing the amount of hate he had for the murderers. His partner had understood it as well, and felt shameful. A heavy silence settled in the car, only broken by the occasional sound of drinking or finger tapping against a phone screen. It was at 1PM that things started to move.

"I'm seeing movement on the GPS tracker, they're coming in our direction! Focus!" Said the officer watching his screen. His partner focused on the iron fence hiding the construction site, and sure enough one of the panels moved.

But no one came through.

"Are you sure this thing is calibrated properly? There's no one here…"

Both policemen watched the street with confusion on their faces. The GPS was showing that the targets were leaving. One of the panels had even moved, as if to allow passage. But no one came through. One of them activated his radio.

"Car 1,3,4, you're watching the GPS tracker? Do you confirm that they should have left the construction site?"

The positive answers left him even more confused. Could it be that the application they used had a bug? Or the GPS tracker placed in the woman's bag didn't work? This possibility was pretty low. The equipment used by the policemen were checked weekly as their use could save lives. In this case, only a single possibility remained. The officer activated his radio once again.

"HQ, car 2 here. GPS seems to be malfunctioning. Cars 1,3 and 4 have confirmed. Target seems to have left, but no one saw them leave. No blind spots. No underground passage. Permission to check the construction site by ourselves?"

A few seconds passed in silence before the radio came to life.

"Car 2, HQ here. Permission granted. Car 1 and 3 are to do the same. Car 4 follow the GPS tracker."

The officer acknowledged the order, then passed the bright orange "POLICE" armband on his right arm. His partner did the same, and the two of them left the car, as Car 4 passed by them to follow the GPS.

They had little in the matter of equipment. A flashlight, a Nambu M60 revolver with twelve rounds each, a police baton and handcuffs. It wasn't much, but they hadn't been expected to have to use them at all. The original plan was just to wait for an occasion to save the hostage, then arrest the murderers.

One of the officers opened the trunk of the car and took out a heavy bolt cutter. Carefully watching the opening in the fence, they chose a place about twenty meters away and cut the chain holding two metal panels together.

Gun in front and finger twitching over the trigger, they burst in the construction site. Far on the left and in front of them, on the other side of the site the two other teams were doing the same.

The frame of the building was already done in concrete, but it was only the skeleton. Only the first floor had concrete walls. Many construction vehicles were parked around, along with a huge crane which towered above the site. A quick search revealed that the outside of the building was empty.

With only the inside left, all the teams gathered and it was a team of six that entered in the concrete hallways. The place wasn't very large, only the outer walls and the bearing walls were already there. They had stopped to listen for a moment, but it only revealed silence.

Eventually, the search ended when the last room revealed the hostage, Touya Hakino, gagged and bind. One of the officers freed him by cutting the rough rope and taking out the gag. The first words coming out of the hostage's mouth were those of gratitude. His eyes were still red because of the crying after all.

"Thank god you came! The Gate in Ginza! They're headed over there!"

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**I'm uploading this chapter a day early because I'm going on a short vacation this weekend.**

**Kirov of the USSR: ****That's it, I'm calling the exterminatus.**

**Mail Lambong:** **About continuing the story: To be honest, I'm not sure. This is how I lost the drive to finish my last story. I wanted to keep writing it, and at some point I realized I wasn't writing it because I enjoyed it, I was writing just for the sake of writing, and I found myself just looking for ways to finish it the fastest way. I don't want that to happen to this story.  
To be clear: it's not that I don't want to continue. I do, a lot in fact. But I don't want to continue it only to find myself in the middle and not having the drive to write anymore. Thus betraying the people who liked my story.**

**And about your second comment: The mercenaries didn't really have time to settle down and consider things. You have to remember that they know the Empire can field tens of thousands of soldiers if needed. And all they've seen so far of the new world is what? 40? 50 policemen? a 100 soldiers maybe? Hakino's revelation is what opened their eyes.**

**Dreadcraft:**** Nuclear weapons are only a last resort, I doubt any country would use them unless some kind of eldritch horror came through the gate, hehe.**

**Dilangp1999: ****Thank you! And it's not that mercenary mages are stronger, it's just that in my opinion mages are stronger on a smaller scale. Toss a fireball at a group of bandits, and when five of them die in seconds then they flee in terror. Toss a fireball at an army, and its impact on the outcome is close to 0. It's all a matter of numbers too. If I understood correctly, mages are pretty rare in Falmart. The empire simply can't field entire formation of mages because of many reasons. However, if the Empire had the means to field let's say 500 mages on a battlefield, I'd guarantee you that the outcome of the battle of Ginza and Alnus Hill would have been much different (at least I would have written it much different).  
And about the plot armor? Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't give them any, but I had to find a way for people who know nothing about technology somehow not be noticed as cosplayers and taken photo of.**

**Kiyone4ever: ****You have to remember that Falmart is a world where the last time the empire was defeated was 250 years ago. For Ygar, Olva, Velgard and Gelt the empire simply never lost in their lifetime. It's why they think so arrogantly. It would be like telling an American today "Hey, tomorrow you're gonna get invaded and all will be conquered in 10 days.". The american (and pretty much everyone on earth) will scoff at you, because that's so absurd.  
That's the same for the Falmartians. A reality where the Empire loses to anyone is completely absurd.  
**

**The Lieutenant: ****Hehehe, I like your thinking!**

**And for all the other who support the story, a big thank you!**

**See you next publication!**


	10. Chapter 9: The way back home

**CHAPTER 9: THE WAY BACK HOME**

« Repeat that ?! »

_"We found the hostage safe and sound, and he told us the murderers are heading towards the Gate in Ginza!"_

"So they managed to escape your watch, despite there being no blind spots to get out of the construction site?"

_"We're as puzzled as you sir! The hostage told us he saw the murderers… Well, disappear under a cape?"_

Gennosuke put down the radio for a while, thinking about what he just heard.

"Explain, I don't understand."

_"I think the hostage will have an easier time explaining sir."_

The radio remained silent for a second, before the voice of Hakino sounded in the room.

_"Inspector Gennosuke?"_

"Ah, professor Hakino! I'm glad you're doing fine! Now, what was that with that cape?"

_"I can't really explain it mister Gennosuke… They asked me questions about our world for some time, then they bundled together and they disappeared from my sight when they put a black cape over themselves."_

"What? So they… Turned invisible?"

_"That would be the correct term, yes."_

Taketa put the radio down again. He had already witnessed some strange sights from over the gate, the magic cast by this "Olva" being the culminating point. Having people from a world of magic able to turn invisible wasn't such a far-fetched possibility. He thanked Hakino and waited as the radio was passed to the officer once again.

"Abandon search of the construction site, Car 2 bring Hakino to the station for a deposition, Car 1 and 3 join Car 4 in trailing the GPS tracker."

As the officer accepted the order, Taketa switched the channel.

"Kanamori, to my office now."

He then put back the radio at his belt. Yuna came a few moments later.

"You called for me, sir?"

"Try and see how much patrols are available right now. The murderers are heading towards the gate, and I want to catch them before they reach the area under military control. We need as much patrols as possible. I'll go to the armory and see if I can get ourselves some heavier weaponry."

"In Tokyo sir? I doubt they'll give us the approval… The civilians-"

He interrupted her.

"Of course, I won't shoot in a crowded area! But we need every edge we can get. They have already proved they have no problem killing policemen, and if a shotgun or an automatic weapon can avoid more casualties then we take them. Each second counts!"

"Alright!"

She left the room quickly, and Taketa followed her soon.

* * *

Merely twenty minutes later, Taketa found himself in the underground parking of the police station. It was mostly empty as most of the cars were currently on patrol, but Yuna had managed to somehow bring in four more cars. Counting all the cars already trailing the GPS tracker, it was 9 cars and 18 policemen (including Taketa and Yuna) that were focused on catching a single group of murderers.

Taketa had gone to the armory earlier to get his hands on whatever was available, and the only weapons that were ready-to-go were a shipment of new MP5K submachine guns that were originally meant for the SAT teams of the station. By pulling a few strings and favors, he received a heavy crate with ten submachine guns and another crate filled with 9mm ammunition. He had received them relatively quickly, and while waiting for Yuna and the new patrol cars he had filled at least one twenty-round magazine for each gun. When all the policemen finally arrived, Taketa gathered them in a half-circle in front of him.

"Everyone, thank you for coming! I'm sure most of you know me, but just in case: I'm inspector Taketa Gennosuke, with my aide Yuna Kanamori. I'm on the case which cost the life of two of our comrades, as well as six others heavily wounded."

Most of the policemen's eyes flared with anger. Some of them had friends amidst the casualties of that day, but everyone was aware of one thing: these were dangerous killers. And it was their job to prevent these degenerates from harming the civilians, as well as avenge their fallen comrades. The most infamous of the group was that "Olva" woman. Her magic trick at the station had made a lot of noise, and it was only a matter of days before the media managed to put their hands on the footage.

"Here's the thing: I know where the murderers are heading, but to catch them I need all of you. Now, here's the tricky part: they're somehow invisible. Don't ask me why, I don't know how. But if they come from a world of dragons and foxgirls, well, I wouldn't say it's that strange."

One of the assembled policemen raised a hand, asking the obvious question.

"But sir, if they're invisible, how are we supposed to find them?"

"There's a GPS tracker on them. I'll give all of you the code to tap in the GPS tracking app in a minute. Plus, I have some ideas which I'll disclose on the road. For now, I need to know one thing: Are you ready to get injured, and maybe die for the sake of justice? It's a very real possibility, and I wouldn't blame you if you want to back off at this point."

An uncomfortable silence settled in the underground parking. Of course, everyone wanted to remain alive. But at the same time, they knew risks were involved when they engaged into the police force.

Yuna was the first to step forward. She was standing straight, left arm at her temple to salute Taketa. Slowly, but surely, each of the eight other policemen did the same. The last one was young, Taketa remembered he had joined the police just a month ago. His eyes were closed, his saluting hand trembled and discreet tears were forming at the corner of his eyes. He was scared, even terrified, but still remained.

Taketa stepped in his direction, and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"I couldn't be prouder. People like you are the reason we can all look up to a bright future. Tell me, what drives you forward?"

The young policeman didn't answer, but his hand stopped shaking and his expression relaxed a bit. Taketa answered his own question.

"What drives me forward are the smiles. The smiles of the parents who can walk with their children safely. The smiles and laughs of kids playing. The smiles of the elderly when they're being helped to cross the streets. When people smile, it means we live in a healthy world. I hope you will find your reason to serve one day."

The young policeman opened his eyes, and a new resolve shined in them. Taketa stepped back with a satisfied expression to address all of them.

"Now, I managed to get ourselves some MP5K's. I hope you remember your training."

One by one, each officer took a submachine gun from the box as well as a magazine. While it wasn't a gun they were used to, it was still part of the quarterly training each policeman had the obligation to attend to. Magazines were slotted, handles pulled and gun straps fastened with precise movements.

"Now, everyone to your cars! Designations are car 6,7,8,9" He said, pointing to each car and the duo of policemen assigned to it. "Follow Car 5, we head to Ginza!"

As he walked to his car, he addressed Yuna.

"Kanamori, take the wheel, I have a feeling I'll receive a very angry phone call…"

Engines roared as they came to life and sirens started blaring their cry as the cars left the police station. And just like his predictions, his smartphone rang merely a minute later. And obviously, the face of his superior was showing on the screen. Commander Keisuke was the most graded member of the station, he only answered to the highest authorities. Sighing, he swiped to answer.

"Commander Keisuke I-"

The commander's furious voice was even heard by Yuna.

"_GENNOSUKE!"_

A few seconds of silence passed.

"_Not only you take weapons out of the armory for no real reason, you also take police cars who should be patrolling other places right now! You know what's happening? There was Yakuza violence! One of the cars you took was supposed to be trailing a clue for the perpetrator! And three other places now don't have any patrols surveying it! I'll have to call reserve forces! You better have a damn good reason for your actions!"_

"Sir, I'm on the Fuyu case. The family that was murdered less than a week ago. I know who the murderers are, and I have very good reasons to believe they're from the other side of the gate!"

"_And?"_

"Right now, they're heading towards it! If they manage to go through, we'll probably never find them back! Are we to tell the families of the victims "sorry they escaped" when we had them under our nose?"

"_You know there's a procedure for getting weapons from the armory?! And to ask for more officers for a case?! You can't just get them freely! We have a tight schedule to run here, and you're breaking it apart!"_

"Commander, with all due respect, I have a duty to bring these degenerates behind bars! I don't want to let them go, especially with what they've done!"

A long moment of silence passed, then a sigh sounded through the phone.

"_I'll close my eyes. This single time, Gennosuke. Do you hear me? You can be sure your next raise is gone, and should you make a SINGLE error, we'll have to talk. Extensively. Oh, and another thing. That footage of that "Olva" woman you sent me? You have to get her. The moment I sent it to the government and the military high-command saw it, I got assaulted by everyone wanting to study her."_

The beeping of the ended phone call rang in his ear, and Taketa put it back into a pocket.

"Kanamori, while the others look for the murderers bring me to the soldiers around the gate, I need to speak to commanding officer."

"Yes sir."

Fortunately, Ginza wasn't that far from the police station. Thanks to the sirens, they reached it in about ten minutes, but that didn't mean they were ahead of the murderers. Gennosuke had checked on an app on his phone out of curiosity, but thirty minutes was the time needed to walk between the Gate and the construction site.

During that time, he also revealed what his idea was to find invisible people: flour. A lot of flour. He had taken a lot of flour bags from the station's cafeteria, and had distributed it evenly between the five cars that came from the station, while more flour would be distributed to the other four cars when they joined. By spreading that flour around, it would be easy to spot them, considering that their invisibility didn't let things through. It certainly sounded silly, but for a problem which required an immediate solution, it was remarkably cost-effective.

Finally arriving at the area in front of the first military checkpoint leading to the gate, the police cars formed _another _roadblock right in front of it. After all, the points on their GPS tracker wasn't far, and was heading straight to them.

Understandably, the soldiers manning the checkpoint got suspicious and immediately walked out of their position towards Gennosuke who was also walking in their direction. The soldiers hadn't raised their rifles, but they were clearly ready to do so.

"Hey, this is an area under JSDF control! Leave right this instant!" said the first soldier. Judging from the marking on his shoulders, he was the lieutenant leading his squad, and on his chest was his name, " ".

Gennosuke took out his police badge and showed him.

"Lieutenant Takeo, I am Taketa Gennosuke from the Tokyo police. I have very good reasons to believe a group of individuals will try to cross the gate soon, and I want to catch them before that. I was hoping you could help us in setting up a roadblock."

"Well I'm waiting for a military shipment and you're blocking the road! Now scram! I have strict orders to not let anyone near, and that includes policemen!"

"But they're _criminals! _I'm sure you've seen on the news about that family that got brutally murdered a few days ago! It's them!"

The lieutenant sighed and put a hand on Taketa's shoulder.

"Listen here. My boys and girls here? They're soldiers. They've trained for months to know how to shoot a gun and drop a fucker to the ground. And a good part of them participated in foreign wars. Your criminals? They're nothing. If they come here, they're dead the moment they get close. You can put your roadblock, but do it further away. And even before military presence was set up here? Not a single soul came from the other world to ours."

"But you don't understand, they can turn invisible! That's how they came in the first place! They'll be here any second, I even have a GPS tracker on them!"

It was the "last card" argument Gennosuke had shouted out of desperation. Thinking back on it, maybe it had just worsened the situation for him. But he _truly _wanted these murderers caught.

It turned out the lieutenant wasn't a man to take it seriously.

"Are you trying to be funny, mister Gennosuke? _They can turn invisible? _You'll have to find a better story to make me trust you. In fact, I'm starting to think you're suspicious. _Very _suspicious. You barge in telling you're from the police, yet we weren't made aware of such a decision? You put a roadblock _right in front _of my military checkpoint? No, no, no, I don't think so. You will put your weapon down, all of you "policemen", and until I pass a phone call to my superiors you won't move. Oh, and by the way, show me that GPS tracker you have on your "murderers"."

A little bit alarmed at this point, Gennosuke raised his arms to the sky in frustration then showed the lieutenant his phone while looking around. The murderers could literally be anywhere at this point, they even could be past this very checkpoint.

"Lieutenant!" Shouted another soldier. "I see the trucks at the end of the street, they've arrived!"

"Good, good." He answered, checking the screen at the same time. "Now mister Gennosuke, tell your men to scram, I have a truck to-"

The lieutenant's voice was cut. He looked at the screen, then at the three trucks arriving. Then, in one quick move he unholstered the pistol at his side and pointed it at Taketa. The soldiers at the checkpoint raised their weapons as well while the policemen looked at them with confused expressions.

"Well, that is very interesting! You'll have the pleasure to explain high command why you have a GPS tracker _right on our military trucks. _I'm sure they'll be very interested to know why you did that. I'm taking you into custody, and that counts for all of your "police officer" friends! Drop your weapons! Goda, tell HQ that the trucks have arrived and that some kind of clown has our trucks tracked by GPS!"

"Wha- But…"

"No buts! Now, everyone hands in the air!"

Slowly raising his hands, Taketa grinded his teeth in frustration. He couldn't blame the lieutenant, after all even he recognized that had he been in the lieutenant's place, he would have acted the same. But at the same time he couldn't help but remember that face full of contempt he had tried to question. No, he wouldn't let them run away _once more!_

* * *

Waiting with tense expressions, the mercenaries held their breath as the large iron chariots stopped in front of the military checkpoint they wanted to pass.

Unfortunately, the checkpoint was comprised of a solid metallic fence which was only opened by the soldiers when something needed to go through. No climbing over it without getting spotted.

They had spotted these green iron chariots a few minutes ago, and using an opportunity where the chariot had stopped in front of a pole with a red light on top, they had cut a few straps holding the green tarp above the holding area in the back and climbed inside. Emroy's veil had made sure that they didn't get spotted.

It was cramped as the inside was filled with a large vehicle, even larger than the usual iron chariots. It had some kind of chains instead of wheels, and a snout on top of it. And judging from the thickness of the metal, it wasn't about to get damaged by arrows or even ballistae's.

All four mercenaries stopped, their mouth gaping on front of such a colossus.

"Is that… Is that something they take to war?" whispered Gelt.

"I'm afraid so…" answered Ygar.

"Impressive… I suppose that in addition to that snout which is a weapon, it can crush men like nothing…" added Velgard.

"We should leave it alone." Finished Olva. "I don't want to put the theory to the test."

As this was _definitely _a vehicle they didn't want to wake up, they quietly looked over to the rest of the holding area. In addition to the "steel elephant" as they called it now, they were also metallic barrels filled with a liquid and metallic plates which judging from their shape were spare parts for the steel elephant.

Watching through a small opening in the green tarp, Velgard was surprised to see a strange sight. The guards in blue were being menaced by the guards in green, while one member of each side was arguing loudly. He didn't know the reason why, but it didn't matter. All it mattered was that the large iron chariot they were in moved forward, past the first military checkpoint.

They now had to find a way to go past the second checkpoint, and then past the defensive ring around the gate. Luckily, all the defenses were placed against what would come _out _of it, not against someone that would want to go _in._

As he reveled at this stroke of luck, he suddenly froze. He recognized this smell. This noise.

"Dogs…"

Outside, a dog was barking and growling at the iron chariot they were in. Loudly. And now, all the soldiers in the area looked at the chariot with curiosity.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**First I would like to point out an obvious issue: I know my characters aren't likable. I'm certainly not the best at writing, and it certainly sounds different when I imagine what they do in my head than when I write it down. Fortunately, someone helped me _a lot _in that regard, and I hope that how my characters are perceived will change in the future. I also got helped to straighten up the mess I write, so I hope it will get better as well.**

**Mail Lambong: ****Well, the title is "Thus the Empire actually had common sense", isn't it? I try to write how a normal person with common sense would think in a given situation. Things won't be the same.  
(And also, you can't believe how thankful I am for your last sentence. It really, _really _helps that people think of my story like that!)**

**Broken life cycle:** **My point wasn't that America never got defeated. My point was that how absurd it was to think that USA would get invaded on their own soil and beaten in 10 days.  
Oh and yeah, there's no way they'll get past unscathed.**

**Dreadcraft:** **Really? You would kill thousands upon thousands of innocents just for the eventuality something you don't know anything about can cause massive damage? I see your point, and I see why people would agree with it. But personally, I believe in "innocent until proven guilty". A nuke is a terrible weapon, something that is to be used as the absolute last resort.  
And anyway, even in the LN or anime the japanese knew about magic thanks to Lelei, Kato and Tuka. And yet, they didn't take any particular hard stances against them, did they?**

**Again, thank you for the incredible support. It means a lot.**

**See you next publication!**


	11. Chapter 10: A flashy end

**CHAPTER 10: A FLASHY END**

They had to act quick. The more the dog barked at the truck, the more soldiers got interested, and through a small opening in the green tarp they could see that a few soldiers were heading to the back of the truck with their weapons raised.

There was a small door leading to the front of the truck from the holding area. And thankfully, it didn't seem locked. Grabbing a knife, Ygar bashed it open and quickly assessed the place. At his left a seat in which a confused green guard was looking at him, and at his right another seat.

The guard reached for his weapon but Ygar was faster and applied his knife against the guard's neck. Slowly, he brought his hands up. Ygar disarmed his quickly, passing the small boxy weapon to Velgard in the back.

_« Watashi o korosanaide kudasai! » _he said with a panicked expression on his face. Knowing that words would be useless without the translator, Ygar pointed first to the driver, then to the large chariot he was driving, then to the gate in front of them. It was so close, yet so far! Only one street away! There was still a military roadblock and the defensive perimeter around the Gate to pass, but well… The chariot they were in seemed solid enough…

Having apparently understood, the guard slowly brought one hand on the wheel in front of him, and shifted a stick at his side with the other. The engine came to life with a roar, and the chariot slowly started gaining speed.

Outside, now all the soldiers had seen Ygar in the driving compartment and were raising their weapon in his direction. Yet, none shoot as the driver was still there. They were shouting orders and threats which fell on deaf ears as none of the mercenaries could understand them.

It was a surreal scene. Despite the rapidly rising tension and the fear and nervousness that came with it, the green guards didn't falter. The expression in their eyes only intensified as the black mouth of their weapons followed Ygar's movements. He knew those eyes.

There were multiple types of enemies. The youngster who didn't know anything about real life. The stuck-up prideful knight. The cowardly bandit. The rageful roar of a mindless beasts. The contempt of a mage who believed his magic invincible… All of those were enemies that Ygar had fought. Yet, in the eyes of those green guards, he was reminded of one type of enemy in particular. It was the glare of a professional killer. Of someone who knew where the weak points of a full plate armor were. Who knew where to hit precisely to kill in the most efficient way. Who stayed silent as he slaughtered droves of men with quick and efficient moves. Who didn't falter when ten men charged him, because he knows he will win… These were the most dangerous, and the green guard's glare definitely belonged in this category.

Ygar shuddered as the chariot drove past the last soldier of the checkpoint.

* * *

"I TOLD YOU SO! WHY ARE YOU LETTING THEM GO?!" screamed Gennosuke. He had them right under his nose! Again!

"Alright calm down Lady. You know what that truck has inside? A tank, tank fuel, and spare parts for the tank. Do you want me to turn this whole checkpoint into a smoking crater?"

After hearing this, Gennosuke quickly calmed down. However, it did little to quell the urgency of the situation.

"Lieutenant, can I have my cars follow that truck now?!"

The soldier clicked his tongue multiple times.

"No can do. I still can't allow civilians or policemen inside. Besides, HQ is now aware of the situation, the second checkpoint will be prepared to greet them."

Gennosuke raised his arms in the sky in frustration and looked at the developing situation with his feelings clearly showing on his face. Seeing this, the lieutenant slightly smiled.

"Don't worry inspector. We're soldiers, we'll get your criminals in no time. And- Oh, shit."

Something had caught the soldier's attention behind Gennosuke. Facing the scene, his face immediately sported a grimace.

At least three TV teams with cameras, microphone holders and journalists were racing in his direction to get a hold of what had just happened.

"And to think my day started so brightly…"

* * *

Ygar looked with apprehension the next checkpoint, in which the green guards were now ready to shoot with their rifles. Still, he maintained his grip on the knife. When the guards driving the chariot tried to deviate just a little bit or do any other move other than turning the wheel or moving the stick at his side, he put just a little more pressure to the blade.

He noticed one of the guards of the second checkpoint had a longer "rifle" than the other, with some kind of tube on top of the weapon. Of course, the weapon was aimed straight at him. Just to be sure, Ygar got a little closer to the guard driving the chariot.

That wouldn't help him. At the distance of less than a hundred meters, and with the truck driving straightforward, there was no way the sniper would miss. And he didn't.

The bullet easily broke the speed of sound, left a clean hole in the front glass of the truck, went right through Ygar's right lung, punctured the wall separating the front from the holding area of the truck then finished its course against a square metal box. Immediately, Ygar fell on the unoccupied seat at the front, screaming in pain.

The driving soldier immediately floored the brake lever with his right foot, but it was too late. The tires screamed as they screeched against the road, but the truck blasted open the metallic fence closing the second checkpoint with a loud crash and soldiers jumped out of the way to avoid a premature death. Unfortunately, not all of them. One of the soldiers on the road got a panic attack seeing this uncontrolled mass of havoc and stood paralyzed.

The driving soldier turned the steering wheel to avoid him and the truck took a sharp turn to the right. In normal times, that would have been it and the truck would have finished its course on one of the street lights on the side of the road. Unfortunately, this was far from normal times, and a 42-ton tank as well as hundreds of liters of fuel had an important part in the whole's balance.

The unnatural turn sent all this weight to the side of the truck which quickly found its way on five wheels instead of the usual ten. Then, it fell to the side, sliding on the ground for a good 20 meters more.

Metal screeched against the concrete road, leaving sparks in its way and a smell of burned tires, before the truck finished its course when it hit one of the tanks guarding the gate.

Loud alert sirens came to life, alerting all the soldiers of an imminent danger and the tank hit by the truck slowly backed away. A metallic sound rang as the tank tracks crushed something, but the engine kept on pulling the tank back.

* * *

"Ygar! Ygar wake up!"

A strong slap woke the mercenary up from his momentary loss of consciousness, and was immediately assaulted by two feelings. The first was that of an indescriptible amount of pain in his chest, and the second was an abnormal tightness in the chest as well as a heavy, ragged breath. Clenching his teeth, he tried to look at the wound.

He shouldn't have.

His whole front was soaked in blood, and he felt cold around the wound. If he wasn't treated soon, he would die. He knew it.

"Olva… We have to… Get out…" Ygar's voice was cut by deep breaths that managed to bring enough to the punctured lung, but that wouldn't last.

The wych nodded, she grabbed Ygar by the shoulders and pulled him to the back of the chariot, ignoring the body of the unconscious driver still on his seat. Velgard was putting everyone's bags on his shoulders with one arm (the other arm was bent in an unnatural way and bone could be seen through an open wound), making him look kind of like a beetle and Gelt was looking over the metallic spare parts they had spotted earlier.

"What's… The plan…"

Each second counted. Ygar could literally feel his life slip away as it became more and more difficult to breathe. Velgard was quick to answer with a painful grin on his face.

"My left arm's broken, so I take all the bags, Gelt is looking for something to protect us from their rifles why we run for the Gate. I also have a trick that might help us, although I don't know if it'll be effective. Can you still throw things?"

"I guess… So…"

"Good, take this and throw it in front of them when I tell you."

With his unscathed arm, the barghest passed a small spherical clay pot to Ygar. Then, Gelt came back holding two large metal plates in his arms.

"This should protect us on the way out. " He said. "It's heavy, but it's the only pieces large enough I could find."

And sure enough, they looked heavy. Two large metal plates painted in green, tall and wide enough to cover a standing human, Velgard would have to crouch.

"I'll go with Olva, Velgard will go with Gelt. We need you alive to attest of what we found, Gelt." Said Ygar.

"Of course." Answered Gelt.

Gelt was the first to get out, cutting an opening in the tarp with his sword. He was immediately greeted by a salvo of gunfire which clattered against the large metal plate he held like a shield, Velgard behind him. The impact was surprisingly strong, and he got close to dropping it. Fortunately, years of military discipline made him maintain the grip on the plate.

Olva quickly joined him with Ygar behind her who struggled to walk straight. More gunfire was fired in their direction but blocked by the plates. The Gate was right in front of them, maybe only twenty meters away or thirty meters away. And quite ironically, the black void seemed extremely inviting.

For now, the collapsed truck was covering their back, but the whole run from the truck to the Gate was completely empty and offered no cover. And large the metal plates may be, they couldn't cover all sides.

As the volume of gunfire intensified and the plates jumped in their hands at each impact, Gelt ran for cover behind a row of sandbags, Olva following him soon. As Ygar was quite literally dying out and Velgard occupied trying to prevent further injury at his broken arm despite all the bags on his back, Gelt took the matters in hand.

"Mercenary Olva! We may not have the best relations, but right now I'm begging you in the name of the Empire! Tell me you can cast something that will get us to the Gate!"

She pointed to her staff strapped to one of the bags. It's top had been broken somehow during their escape.

"My staff's broken, they had a lucky hit! And there's no water around, I can't cast ice without water!"

They had to shout to cover the ever-intensifying volume of gunfire directed at them. Amidst the "normal" shooting sound of the rifles, there was also a much louder one. Peeking from above their cover, Velgard swore when he saw one of the steel elephants shooting at them. Its main snout remained silent, but a smaller one underneath spewed an almost uninterrupted stream of fire that made itself feel even from behind the sandbags.

Suddenly, an intense pain made him go back undercover. He put his intact hand to his head and looked at it. It was covered in blood. One of the bullets flying towards them had tore his left ear away. However, that wasn't the most pressing matter. He had noticed that the soldiers were starting to converge on their position while the gunfire kept the mercenaries from even looking above the sandbags.

Things were looking grim.

* * *

Unbeknown to both parties, there was a problem in the making. When the truck had crashed and collapsed, the long grind against the concrete of the road had snapped many of the straps holding the green tarp, and the crash against the tank hadn't been soft either. In the end, anything that hadn't been bolted down to the floor of the back of the truck had flown off because of the impact.

One of those things was a fuel container, which had been crushed when the tank hit by the truck had backed away. Of course, the container's content spilled on the road in large quantities.

But here was the dangerous part. A lot of fuel on the ground. And bullets flying over the sandbags to prevent the mercenaries from moving. Of course, the gunner in the shooting tank didn't shoot at the collapsed truck behind the mercenaries, but at the sandbags and the road in front of the sandbags.

One of the bullets ricocheted against a manhole cover. The bullet flew over the mercenaries and the truck, only to find its way into what was an advertisement for a nearby coffee shop that had closed when the military had taken hold of the area.

Struck by a 12.7mm bullet, the advertisement was brutally torn away from the wall it was placed against and fell to the ground. On the fuel-soaked ground, to be precise.

The glowing letters of the advertisement let out one final spark before dying for good.

The spark ignited the fuel.

The fire quickly reached the inside of the crushed container, where a bit of fuel still remained.

The container exploded, sending burning fuel everywhere. Part of that fuel landed on the truck. It quickly started to burn the green tarp, then the truck.

Then, the truck's fuel container.

And the world went aflame.

* * *

When the fuel reserves of the truck exploded, it triggered a chain reaction which set aflame the spare fuel containers that had flown off the truck. Some of the containers were sent into the air, then exploded creating a both fascinating and devastating sight. A nearby building started to burn when a container broke a window and exploded inside. A rain of burning containers ready to explode peppered the area. One of the tanks was quickly evacuated when two containers exploded on top of it, the occupants not wanting to be cooked alive like in an oversized oven.

Gelt was the first to wake up from his daze. His vision was blurry, his earing replaced by a constant ringing and even his taste and smell overwhelmed by the effects of an intense fire. His skin was covered in red areas just from the sheer heat. Peeking above the sandbags which were also starting to burn, he observed the situation. The Gate was still intact, although blackened with soot at some places. And most importantly, a lot of the green soldiers were backing away from the flames.

Which meant that the way in was momentarily unguarded.

Turning back, he first spoke. Not hearing even himself, he shouted. But all he could feel was a vibration in his throat. Putting a hand to his ear, it came back bloodied. The explosion had busted his eardrums. While it was a setback, it could be healed at any proper healing institution that knew the right magic back in Falmart. He slapped Velgard and Olva to wake them up and pointed at the Gate. Velgard's fur was blackened, and Olva quickly put out the flame which had started burning her hair. Both tried to speak, but they quickly came to the same realization as he did just a few seconds ago.

And both saw the opening.

Velgard was the first to get up and force Gelt to run with the metal plate. Both sped towards the gate and no gunfire came in their direction, so much focused were the soldiers to flee the hungry flames.

It was another matter for Olva. Ygar had finally passed out, and she panicked momentarily before realizing he was still breathing, albeit barely. Wearing a passed out Ygar and the metal plate being impossible for her frame, she discarded it and limped as fast as she could towards the Gate. The heat had burned her left leg a bit, slowing her down even more.

As she limped, she rejoiced. It was just a product of her mind, but the smell of good Falmartian air filled her nose. As she came closer and closer, the ugly grey road was replaced with green grass and flowers. She took one last look at the world.

And saw one of the soldiers aiming at her.

Three bright flashes left the black mouth of the rifle, and three bullets dropped her to the ground.

But she kept going.

With the energy only the desperate had, she forced herself forward, pulling Ygar behind her and leaving a trail of blood. Her whole body was a mess.

A small spherical object bounced off the ground and landed behind her.

An explosion shook her world, and forced her into the sweet arms of unconsciousness.

* * *

_Three days later._

Gennosuke was slouched on the sofa of his apartment, looking at the TV screen in front of him.

After coming back to the station three days ago, commander Keisuke had been very, very clear. The only reason he wasn't fired on the spot was that "Olva" was still alive even after a grenade exploded near her. Most of the damage had been taken by the other murderer she was pulling who had been found dead. But he still attracted the TV's attention, and the giant explosion who had rocked the ground near the Gate had only worsened the situation. The fact that JSDF soldiers were aiming at policemen had been captured by the cameras as well, giving enough ammunitions for the media to make a thousand and one statements, both true and false.

"_You are not to come back until I call you. Until then, stay at home." _Was what had been said to him. And so here he was. Still in pajamas as 10am on a Tuesday, looking remarkably similar to a mollusk in front of the TV.

"… _Lieutenant who ordered for the shot to be taken which caused the truck crash and the explosion has been taken into custody, and is currently waiting for the martial court summon. His lawyer hasn't spoken yet, so it is hard to draw conclusions. On a lighter note, we are extremely happy to announce that the three soldiers taken into emergency hospital services are alive and well, only suffering varying degrees of burns."_

_The channel's ending tune started, and some advertisement began showing on the screen._

Taketa lazily raised the remote and turned off the TV. On the coffee table in front of him, ten empty beer cans laid, proof of his last night drinking, and despite the early hour of the day another half-empty can was balanced on the sofa's cushion. His hair was completely undone and the beginning of a beard showed on his cheeks.

His daughter was at school and his wife at work so he didn't answer when someone rang at the door. But the person insisted, constantly ringing. Taketa lost his patience after two minutes straight and stomped towards the door, ready to punch whatever person was so insistent.

"WHO'S H-" He shouted as he brutally pulled the door open. He cut himself when he realized Yuna was here with a small package in her hands.

"I… I wanted to see how you're going, Taketa, seeing as you don't answer to phone calls three days straight now…"

In her hands was a small package of chocolates and the expression on her face was of genuine worry. Seeing this, his anger instantly turned down.

"Sorry, Kanamori… I… Thank you. Come in, please."

She was in her police uniform, so she entered and took out her shoes before following him to the kitchen. There, he started to brew some coffee for her. While the liquid boiled, he addressed her.

"So, Kanamori, why did you come and see this poor wretch that I became?"

She spent a moment looking over him, then to the empty beer cans near the TV and all the obvious signs of a person in distress.

"Well, like I said earlier I wanted to see how you're doing. And as I can see, you're not doing well. What happened?"

He sighed.

"I… I knew this is how it would end, the moment I saw her practicing magic. She'll get experimented on by a bunch of white coats, but she'll never appear before a court. Oh, she'll probably be put in a extremely high security cell, but all the friends, the cousins, the brothers and sisters of the Fuyu family? They'll never have a face to release their anger and sadness against. Olva will never be in a court. That dead man is, well, dead. And the two others fled through the gate. Unless the government decides to move some assets to the other side, we'll never find them again. I consider that a failure, Kanamori. I failed myself. But most importantly, I failed the Fuyu family."

Yuna stayed silent, she didn't really know what to say. She grabbed the warm coffee cup he had given her and slowly sipped on it.

"Well, I came to tell you to come with me. You're a wreck right now. Take a shower, put on some clothes and help me. You're not a failure, Taketa_-senpai. _You're an esteemed detective, but you're also a human. All humans make errors. None of us could have thought that someone could turn _invisible_. None of us could have expected to face magic, of all things."

He smiled slightly. Even if didn't change anything to his state of mind, she was trying to cheer him up. Without a word, he left he kitchen towards the bathroom.

He still had smiles to protect.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Here's the chapter I think all of you were waiting for lel.**

**Now, I know that a lot of things in this chapter don't make sense at all. Like the fuel being transported in separate barrels instead of a fuel truck, and the small door leading from the back of the truck to the driving compartment. But for the sake of the rest of the story, I _had _to make at least one or two of the mercenaries survive and well, I didn't want to write "and they put on the invisibility cape and made it. The end."**

**Believe me, I think what will follow will be more interesting. Also, this chapter is a little bit longer than usual.  
**

**rmarcano321: ****Well, the empire's biggest flaw is definitely it's overconfidence. But well, I plan to change that a bit. This story is named "Thus the Empire actually had common sense" after all.  
**

**theIrishWriter:**** How did they know it was heading to the Gate? Green truck. Going straight at Gate with green soldiers and other green vehicles. And I did say they used the cape to sneak in at a red light. And now I realize I didn't make it clear enough, but the truck went past the fenced gate before the dogs started to bark. And I'm sorry to say I don't know what TPD means.  
I know you're going to find that a lot of things don't make sense in this new chapter, no need to crucify me about it please.  
**

**I hope you liked what you read!**

**See you next publication**


	12. Chapter 11: Important matters

**CHAPTER 11: IMPORTANT MATTERS  
**

_Two days after crossing the Gate._

Velgard woke up and immediately looked at his surroundings. He was lying on a bed, alone in a white cloth tent. The last thing he remembered was crossing the Gate back to Falmart, then he had passed out from exhaustion just as a patrol of imperial wyvern riders had spotted them.

"You shouldn't move, barghest."

A human woman approached. She seemed pretty enough by human standards with long blond hair and a cute face, and wore a pure white dress with a blue symbol of La, the goddess of learning at the front. The dress had some blood stains on it.

"You're lucky you're still alive. You had a fractured arm, multiple burns and some strange wounds I had never seen before. I found at least three or four metallic pieces in your body, and the wound they came through was pretty big."

Inspecting his body, Velgard was forced to admit that if that woman was the one who healed him, she had done a pretty good job. As the herborist/apothecary of the team he formed with Ygar and Olva, he had some knowledge of the healing arts. The bandages smelled of curing herbs, were clean and were perfectly tied, not too loose but not too tight either. There were some on his chest, on his face covering his torn off ear and a splinter held in place his broken left arm. And he could also smell purifying incense in the air. Truly, the people here knew how to heal properly.

"Guess I should thank you, Lady. Where am I?" He groaned.

"You're in the tent of the Sisterhood of Clear Water. We're all La and Elange worshippers, although we're usually stationed near Rondel. Most of us were born in the city but didn't have magical talents. I was-"

Velgard cut her. She seemingly liked to hear herself talk.

"The point, please."

She cleared her throat.

"You're in the camp of Emperor Molt. We sisters of Clear Water have been hired by Molt to heal his men in exchange for funds for our monastery. From what the soldiers who brought you here told us, they found you just outside the Gate. There was another imperial with you, a centurion. He was a little less harmed but he's still unconscious."

"No one else came? Only the two of us?"

"I'm afraid so…"

Silence fell in the tent. So they didn't make it… Velgard was a mercenary. Dealing with death was his work. He knew the risks as well, each battle was potentially a deadly one. One could stack the odds with himself by getting better equipment, employing particular strategies and overpowering the opponent. But ultimately, the result of a battle laid within Emroy's will. Velgard, Olva, Ygar and probably every person who made soldiering his work knew this, and getting ready for it. As a famous line by Rory Mercury said: "In order to have a good death, you must have a good life.".  
Of course, the meaning of "having a good life" was subjective, and ultimately only the Reaper herself knew Emroy's truth.  
Velgard liked to think that Ygar and Olva would join Emroy's pantheon as great warriors, but it was hard to judge. They did save many villages of monster threats and saved merchants from bandit attacks, but they had also joined armies who pillaged villages and cities on their way to feed the bottomless pit that is an army's stomach. And lastly, their last act of killing a family, city guards and shamelessly running away was far from brave or honoring.

"Leave, woman… I lost a battle brother and a dear friend, I need to be alone…"

Velgard wasn't one for emotions, but it was true. Olva was a human woman he distrusted at first, but she proved herself surprisingly open and didn't show the usual scorn humans show to other races. She had gained a special place in his heart. Were it not for his "particular" anatomy he would have gladly bedded her. And Ygar was his battle brother. They had sworn in front of Emroy to fight together until the end, and had survived many battles for years together.

And Velgard had ran away. He needed to protect Gelt and couldn't hold one of the metal plates they had used as shields with the bags so he went first with the imperial, but still. He had left his brother behind.

He turned his sadness into anger, directed mostly at himself but also at the green soldiers who had shot Ygar and Olva. He had no realistic way to reach them, but he promised himself he would find a way to atone. Meanwhile, his face contorted into an angry grin and his good hand's fist curled into a ball.

But the woman didn't leave. She just stood there with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Actually, I can't. Molt has ordered that as soon as you wake up you have to go report to him. The centurion that came with you should be waking up soon too. Just wait here a few minutes while we go fetch your bags."

She left the tent a few seconds, then came back. An awkward silence settled as both avoided one another's gaze. In order to avoid thinking about his recent loss, he addressed her in a mocking tone.

"I noticed you don't seem to appreciate the Emperor? Aren't humans bound by law to say "emperor Molt" at least when talking about him?"

Her face turned into an uneasy expression.

"We Sisters of Clear Water seek nothing more than knowledge in the art of healing, and spread of said knowledge. And I mean physical healing, not magical. Mages will always babble about how healing magic is so superior, but not everyone has access to magic. Even in our order, only our canoness, her palatine and one or two higher sisters have the gift of magic. The palatine is kind of her aide, you could say. She's the one that accelerated your healing as well as the imperial's. Without her, you would have to stay in bed for at least a week or two more…"

She noticed Velgard's glare, and cleared her throat before going back to the point.

"We seek the art of healing so less suffering comes upon this world. We work closely with the orders worshipping Miritta, Warehun and Zufmuut to that end. The thing is, we depend upon charity to fund everything we need. And since the Emperor is our most important supporter, we are effectively bound to his will. He treats us as healers for his troops, and nothing more. He doesn't care about our sacred mission or our wishes. So we are forced to attend to his campaigns, mere witnesses of the very thing we seek to avoid…"

He knew what she was talking about. Being forced to do things one didn't like, but had to because of their duty… Did he really have to stab this kid back on the other world? Ygar was the leader of the team, but ultimately Gelt was sent with them by the Emperor himself so they acted accordingly to what he wanted. Velgard wasn't one to enjoy killing pups, be it human, barghest, siren or any other race. And the one he stabbed really didn't deserve this…

As he was lost in thought, another human woman entered the tent. This one was older, and her dress more elaborate with a blue iconography of Elange. Her hair was hidden by a light blue hood lined in gold, and her waist a small wooden wand was held in place by a blue cloth belt.

"Flavia, what are you waiting for? Get this beastman up."

The previous nurse who he just learned was named Flavia perked up.

"Yes, sister palatine! I'll get the crutches!"

She left in a hurry, then came back with a pair of crutches for Velgard. With her help, he used them to follow the Palatine out of the tent, towards the wherever the Emperor himself was.

* * *

"So you're telling me we face a country which has more soldiers than the Empire could ever raise, has weapons that can kill anyone from an incredible range and has logistics advanced enough to feed an entire city that has probably more inhabitants than Sadera and is so large you could never reach or even see its limits?"

"I'm afraid so, my Emperor." Answered Gelt.

Emperor Molt furrowed his brows and scratched his chin, thoughtful.

With the help of the Sisters of Clear Water, Velgard had crossed the sea of tents composing the Emperor's army, followed by two imperial soldiers who had the task of hauling all the bags they brought back. In total, it was six bags. Four travelling backpacks they had brought with them originally, and two backpacks from the other world. Each one of them was filled with items and contraptions from the other world. Two praetorian guards had let them inside the crimson tent, and two more guarded the Emperor as well as young boy who probably was a squire and a court wizard.

It took them more than one hour to finish telling what they had learned about the new world. Mid-story, he had been considerate enough to order the boy a glass of wine for Gelt. Not for Velgard though, who simply stayed silent at Gelt's side and only talked when Gelt forgot something or wasn't precise enough.

Molt pointed at one of the items they had presented on a white cloth on the ground in front of the Emperor, and the young squire immediately picked it up and presented it to him.

The emperor took the small flat black brick and couldn't help but open his eyes slightly wider than usual when it lit up at the mere touch. There were glowing characters he couldn't read on the front, and when he pressed a finger on it, it moved. He presented it to the court wizard at his side.

"Does this truly holds no magic whatsoever?"

The mage closed his eyes and passed his hand over the item, then opened them back up.

"None, your highness. And it doesn't seem to be a living creature either."

That much was obvious, so Molt sighed and gave back the item to the squire who put it on a nearby table (Thinking no one would pay attention to him, the boy marveled for a few seconds at how the things on the brick moved when he touched it before coming back at the Emperor's side).

"You said the weapons they used didn't go through your wyvern scale armor, centurion?"

"That is correct, your highness." Answered Gelt. "Although I have to say that it damaged it badly, and should I have been shot one more time, I would have been severely wounded."

In term of armor quality, wyvern scales definitely were in the upper category. Iron and steel were the most common ones. Armors made of the hide of some tough beast weren't that uncommon either for rich mercenaries. Wyvern scales were extremely expensive, and crafting an armor out of them was even more expensive. Apparently, the one this centurion wore was a family heirloom, passed from generations to generations.

Wyvern scale armor was the toughest armor one man could realistically buy without selling an entire castle. There were tales of heroes covered head to toe in wyvern scales who fought off entire armies. The most common one was that of the personal guard of Molt's grandfather, during the arctic war. A large part of the imperial treasure had been used to equip the praetorian guards at that time with such armor, and the guard held a mountain pass for a whole day against barbarians that were ten times more numerous, before they succumbed to exhaustion. This act gave time for the remains of the army at that time to retreat to a more defensible position and wait for reinforcements. If anything, it told of the defensive properties of such equipment.

But the otherworlders had weapons that could break through with only one shot?

"You said you brought some of these weapons, right?"

"Yes, your highness. Here they are. We were told that they are called "rifles", although I don't know if the term refers to one type of weapon in particular or all of them. "

Gelt took out the weapons from one of the backpacks Velgard presented him. There was a long one which had two barrels at the front, and three much smaller ones which looked like a turned over "L". One of the three was very boxy, while the two others had some kind of cylinder in their construction. There were also some kinds of small red cylinders with a brass top which Velgard signified were ammunition for the longer weapon.

Molt waved his hand at one of the praetorian guards at his side.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Find two slaves, give armor to one of them and bring them to the training field. Tell the owners they'll be compensated later for the loss."

"Yes, your highness!"

The guard saluted and ran off immediately, while Molt pointed to the map that Gelt had showed him at first. He kept a neutral face, but on the inside he was boiling. Maps! One of the most important tools of war one could obtain!

"We were told that where the Gate opened is on this island." Said Gelt, showing a bright red dot on a small island. If such a small nation had such an army, then what of the other countries? The two biggest he could see (one that spanned the width of the entire continent just west of the island and one that took half of an entire continent on the west of the map) were probably the biggest threats. But if the nation of "Japan" was so small and had such an army, then what of these countries? Did their soldiers count up in the millions? Billions? And all of them with the gear described by Gelt?

"We also got a map of the city we found ourselves in." Said the centurion, showing another map. Molt studied it for a moment, before passing both maps to the court wizard at his side.

"Make sure these maps are copied at least ten times each."

The wizard nodded before stuffing the maps under his arms. The Emperor then raised from his chair and signaled to Gelt to get up as well.

"Well then, I want to see how these weapons work. Laelius?"

The young boy perked up and looked at the Emperor.

"Come to the training field with the weapons. Centurion Gelt will show us how effective they are. You are free to follow us, beastman."

Gelt saluted, while Velgard nodded politely and followed the procession outside.

* * *

The training field was currently being utilized by another centurion drilling his troops into precise formations, but as soon as the emperor showed up, he respectfully called off the drill and ordered his troops to make way.

Soon enough, the praetorian guard that had left the tent earlier came back with two slaves in chains. One of them was wearing an armor that had probably been a legionnaire's armor before, but it was rusted in some placed and the signs of intense usage made it useless on a proper battlefield. Velgard noticed that their eyes had been covered with a piece of white cloth. At least the praetorian had been kind enough to not let them see their impending doom. That said, they were still panicked and kept darting their heads around, trying to see past the cloth. The praetorian guard bound them to wooden poles that were usually used as target practice for archers and crossbowmen then came back to the emperor's side.

"Your highness, here they are. Thieves captured a month ago, they helped the cooks and attacked one of them, wounding him heavily. They were supposed to receive the death sentence tomorrow evening as a show to the other slaves."

"Well then," Answered Molt "They'll receive an early sentence. Centurion Gelt, if you will?"

Gelt fidgeted with the hunting rifle for a little while, not sure about how to handle it, until Velgard told him to treat it like a crossbow. Putting the stock against his shoulder and aiming down the two tubes, Gelt couldn't help but marvel at how simple the aiming system was, yet how effective. Aiming straight at the unarmored slave, he pulled the trigger.

The recoil completely surprised him as well as the sound, forcing him back a step and making him fall butt to the ground. The loud bang surprised the audience as well, including the Emperor, who watched the sky for any nearby thunderstorm.

Seeing as there was none, all focused on the slaves. The unarmored one was dead, there was no doubt about it. His left breast had been turned into a bloody mess, and he didn't even get enough time to cry or shout in pain.

Putting his feet into a more stable position, Gelt then sported the rifle to the second slave who was now bawling, begging for mercy. However, when he pulled the trigger this time there was no sound but a loud "click". Confused for a few moments, he looked at the weapon before Velgard came close with a few red cylinders in hand. Both tried to move everything that could be moved on the rifle for a few minutes, until they managed to understand the reloading process. Fortunately, the weapon was extremely simple to use. Gelt then shot the second slave.

The armor was totally useless. Even on the rust-less parts, the projectiles fired by the rifle had completely broken through the metal like hot knife through butter.

Molt observed the result with an inquisitive stare.

"I need to think. You there, beastman, you're free to go. My squire will give you your reward later. Centurion Gelt, come with me, I have a special task for you."

And with the bearing of someone who knew he would be obeyed, the Emperor made his way back to his tent.

* * *

Back in the tent, Molt was back on his chair while Gelt was kneeling in front of him. All the items they had brought from the other world had been put away.

"Centurion Gelt, you did your task admirably. As your Emperor, it pleases me to know there are people like you under my service."

With his head still down, Gelt couldn't help but smile. A praise from the Emperor himself! Not a lot of people could boast about that!

"I have a task for an outstanding soldier like you. You will be my counsellor on every matter that concerns the Gate and the Other world. For now, court wizard, take him with you. He'll explain to you the best he can about all of these items."

"Of course, your highness!" almost shouted Gelt. Counsellor of the emperor! Finally, the occasion he had waited for so long had come! He had literally jumped from being a nobody to one of the emperor's closest! With an almost child-like joy, he left the tent after properly saluting the emperor.

Meanwhile, the Emperor asked for a glass of wine as he thought on how to deal with the Gate and the nation beyond. Emperor Molt Sol Augustus may be a known as a reckless man, but the true persona behind the crown was far smarter and scheming than he showed.

He clearly couldn't take on the nation of Japan. Be it on the sheer number of soldiers, technological level or just logistics, he was beaten on every field. An assault would only result in a crippling loss for the Empire, while only causing minor damage to the nation of Japan. Even more, it would leave him defenseless against the allied nations.

At least, that's what would happen in the current situation.

With a grin, he called his squire.

"Laelius, bring me a lectern and my writing material. I have a lot of letters to write. Call general Maximus as well."

Molt spent a short time discussing with general Maximus, the second in command of the whole Gate matter, Molt himself being the first in command of course. Then, he spent the next hours writing letters.

The imperial army would leave the ground near the Gate next morning.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**I'd like to start by thanking everyone who still supports me, and writes it in the comments. It means _a lot _to me that not everything is criticism.**

**Now, to adress the elephant in the room:  
Yes, some of the things I write don't make sense, realistically speaking. But I'd like to remind something: I'm _the first _(as far as I know) in this fanfic section who writes about a being from Falmart _successfully _sneaking past modern means of defense and monitoring. Do you know how hard it is to write without any reference or previous point of view? And I don't want to dumb it down to "well they used magic to sneak past since our world doesn't know magic.".  
**

**Now, I may be wrong, and there may be previous stories who wrote about a fantasy being sneaking successfully in a modern society he knows nothing about without abusing magic. If such a story exists and if one of you happen to know about it, please tell the name in the comments because I'd gladly read it.**

_**Of course**_ **I give my characters plot armour because they realistically wouldn't be able to. I'd like to point out that I try to pinpoint those "plot armour" to precise moments instead of spreading it to all of the story.**

**Unfortunately I don't have time to answer to reviews today, so I'll answer by PMs tomorrow.**

**Sorry for this outburst, but I had to say it.**

**Thanks for the support, and see you next week!**


	13. Chapter 12: The lion's roar

**CHAPTER 12: THE LION'S ROAR.**

« And here's your payment ! » said the quartermaster, handing a heavy pouch of coins to Velgard.

The wolfman took the pouch, weighting it in his hands. Fifty Sinku! That was his reward. Originally, the sum would have been shared between himself, Ygar and Olva but now… All the gold was his to take. And because they had provided maps and weapons from the other world to the Emperor, the original reward of twenty-five sinku had been doubled.

Thanking the quartermaster who handed him the pay, Velgard left the tent and looked around him. He was in the middle of Molt's army camp. The afternoon sun forced him to shield his eyes. The quartermaster was the one handing the soldier they pay every week, so his tent was extremely well protected. The chests themselves were constantly guarded by an imperial mage and a handful of guards thoroughly screened before given this task.

And as such, stares were pointed in Velgard's direction. After all, while they didn't see the amount, the pouch he had in his hands had the distinctive sound of coins and seemed quite heavy. And people wondered what did someone do to deserve such a reward. Even more, what kind of action did a beastman do to deserve it?

Feeling a little nervous, Velgard hid the pouch in a small leather bag he had brought and made his way back to the Sisterhood of Clear Water's tents. With the slow speed forced by the crutches, he had all the time in the world to think.

He was now effectively wealthier than most in the Empire. What would he do with that kind of money?

Wait for recovery, and go back to soldiering?  
The more he thought about it, the more he felt unlikely to do so. He was now thirty-seven, and the average lifespan of a Barghest was about sixty years. He had started mercenary work at ten, the age at which Bhargests were considered adults. He had spent twenty-seven years of his life dealing with death. And now that Ygar and Olva were gone…

He really didn't feel like taking back his weapons. Maybe now was the time to settle down, find a mate and have pups? No, he wasn't someone to settle down either. Then what to do…

Wondering about his future, he entered the area with the characteristic white tents of the Sisterhood of Clear Water. Each tent was large enough to house at least ten men, with individual tents intended for the officers near the Sister Palatine's tent. Despite there being no battle recently, there were a few men being tended to, and the sisters ran to and fro with various medical material in their hands. Clay pots filled with incense, bandages, tools for surgery…

He nodded to Flavia, the sister who had tended to him when he passed by her and entered his tent. There was a bed on the left side with a basin full of clean water beside it, and a small wooden chest where most of his possessions had been placed. He put the crutches on the ground, sat heavily on the bed and took out the pouch of coins from the leather bag. He weighted it, thoughtful.

After a while, sister Flavia entered the tent once again.

"How are you doing, hum… What's your name, Barghest?"

He put back the pouch on the bed and tried to smile to her. It was hard. Barghests usually show their emotions with their eyes, ears and tail. And despite having worked with humans for more than twenty years, he could never imitate their expressions with his maw. From her reaction, it was easy to understand she was terrified. He sighed and addressed her.

"I'm Velgard. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. How do you know my people's name? Not a lot of humans do."

She approached, slightly reassured, and started to remove the dirty bandages covering his torn off ear.

"Well, Velgard, I have been raised in Rondel, true, but my father was a hunter in the northern reaches before marrying my mother. He told me a lot about his native region, including a race of wolf-like men who hunted like no man could. From his description, I deduced you were one of them."

Once the bandage removed, she took a peek at the gaping wound. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it definitely wasn't completely healed. She pulled her hand back with haste when Velgard winced at her touch on the bare flesh. Then, she put back a new bandage in a gentle manner, making sure that it covered the wounded area completely.

"What made you want to live this life?" He asked. He was curious in a sense. While he could understand the feeling of wanting to spread medical arts to everyone (He even felt it was quite a noble task), he couldn't understand why they did it freely.

She answered as she looked over the multiple gunshot wounds on his flanks.

"My mother was researching healing magic in Rondel. She always was my model. I wanted to follow her steps, but I didn't have any magical talents. I also wanted to follow the selfless devotion and efforts she put into her research. My mother was a friend with one of the higher sisters at the time, so she made me enter the monastery when I was twelve. My father died a few years later while on a pilgrimage to Holy Alnus. My mother is still alive, but she's too old to cast any healing magic. As I don't have her education, I guess this is my way to continue her legacy."

She tied the bandage over his flank with a satisfied expression, then checked the state of his broken left arm.

"Tell me Velgard, what made you want to life of soldiery? I can see that you're armed, but you do not appear to be an auxiliary into Molt's army. Are you a mercenary?"

He took some time to think as Flavia made sure the splinter holding his left arm in place was correctly placed, then answered.

"We barghests age faster than you humans. We're considered adult at the age of ten. When I was ten years old, I joined a mercenary band who happened to pass by and was recruiting. I was hungry for blood and glory, and a life of hunting like most of my people do seemed boring to me. We were pretty successful, until we were ambushed by a sizable group of trolls. We fought back, but when the local garrison came to help we were only a few left. We broke off, and that's where I saved… I saved Ygar, a few months later…"

He remained silent.

"This Ygar, "she started "Is he the battle brother you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, he is… Or rather, he was…"

She understood the meaning of what he said immediately, and respectfully stood silent. While she wasn't a worshiper of Emroy, she knew that two warriors taking the oath of the battle brother or sister were bonded for life, to fight and die together. She sat by his side, waiting for him to continue.

"He was my battle brother, and I left him to run while he could barely follow… I'm a coward, and I can't even avenge him…"

She took some time to breathe, putting her hands over her thigs. As a healer, she had heard that conversation many times. The guilt of the survivor. She had seen men getting destroyed mentally, to the point that proud men who had pride in themselves became shelves of their former self. She had also heard many dying wishes of men wishing they had chosen another life.

And while she never had the right answer, she knew ways to help cope with it.

"Velgard, you don't strike me as someone to abandon his brother and dearest friend unless forced to do it. It was Emroy's will, and Ygar's fate. Of course, you shouldn't forget the dead. But you shouldn't also forget the living. I'm sure there are people who care about you."

She raised from the bed, brushing the strands of grey fur that had attached themselves to her dress.

"I shall leave you to your thoughts, Velgard." She said. "May La and Elange help you reach the answer you seek."

She then left the tent, sporting a smile to her face.

Velgard spent the rest of the day lying on the bed, twirling his thoughts. Eventually, an imperial messenger came to the Sisterhood's camp and told to get ready to leave camp early morning next day.

The barghest didn't have a lot of possessions, but it still wouldn't hurt to get ready. He wouldn't be able to haul a backpack with his wounds, so he instead put everything he owned into the small wooden chest at the foot of the bed.

A small wooden box filled with curative and healing substances and equipment. Clothes, only including pants, belts and capes since his fur kept him warm otherwise. Some travelling rations, he might as well keep them and eat what the Sisterhood gave him while he was being taken care of. Of course, the pouch of coins he had received from the quartermaster. A few hygienic items…

What remained was his short bow and arrows, as well as his mace. He looked over them for a long while. The mace was pretty standard, a metallic shaft with a flanged head on top, with straps of leather at the base of the shaft for ease of handling. The short bow however was a gift he had received from his father the day he had joined that mercenary group and left home. It was made of ivory, probably some beast his father had hunted and was carved with depictions of forest spirits. The carving had weathered over the years, but it still could be seen.

A long while later, Velgard made his decision. He grabbed the mace, then put it in the chest. He did the same with the bow and arrows. He wouldn't need those. Not anymore.

Once the chest was closed and secured, he joined the sisters for dinner. The next day, he helped Sister Flavia to haul the chest to the carts of the Sisterhood, and walked with them.

He didn't know what the future had in mind for him. But what he knew was that for now, helping the Sisters would be his task.

* * *

…_You are to take your armies and head to Holy Alnus hill. There, a Gate opened by the gods stands. Nothing must pass through it. No human, no orc, no elf, no being must come to our side. The other side's people are rich, probably more than the Empire. We will gain much by trading with them, and the allied nations will be rewarded by fourty percent of the trade benefits for ten years, but we aren't sure of the other side's intentions. Until then, you are to make sure nothing foreign put its leg on holy soil._

_Emperor Molt Sol Augustus._

Duran frowned, reading for the tenth time the letter he had received about two days ago. As a vassal state, he couldn't ignore the Emperor's demands so he had immediately gathered his army and headed towards Alnus hill.

He had heard rumors prior of new islands to conquer to the north, that might have been why the Emperor had tasked the allied nations to take care of the land beyond the Gate while he was occupied by the islands invasion.

As one of the closest kingdom to Alnus hill, King Duran and his armies only needed about five days to reach their destination. However, the furthest kingdoms would need at least a month, maybe more if complications showed up on the way. For that reason, Duran walked at the head of his army at a slow pace, making sure that his soldiers stayed fresh. He himself was on his horse at such a pace, leisurely following the road to Alnus. They would sometimes stumble upon a pilgrim walking back from the holy site. By listening to them, they already knew a little bit about the Gate. It was a stone and marble construction, with a large mouth that could fit an entire company. There were rumors that a demi-human shepherdess had met beings from the other side at night. The rumors spoke of demons who would enter the hungry mouth of metallic beasts with no care in the world, and come out completely unscathed. Another rumor told of the magic they wielded which managed to repel an imperial wyvern rider squad.

Such rumors were mostly baseless, but each legend had a base of reality. As such, Duran stayed cautious during his approach of the hill.

"Something on your mind, my lord?"

Duran cast a glance to the side. There, his second-in-command was on a horse, looking at him with worry in his eyes. Without realizing it, Duran had been frowning for a good ten minutes already.

"Nothing immediate, Kelimel. But I have my doubts about this whole operation."

His aide and friend, Kelimel, smiled brightly. His skin was darker than most imperials, proof of his southern origins, but he had proved a valuable counsellor and friend many times. His body was covered in armor painted in Elbian colors, but his head showed a veteran grizzled by warfare. There was a scar running along his left cheek, from his mouth to his left eye.

"Surely something that can worry the Lion of Elbe is worthy of hearing! Tell me, my lord, maybe I can offer some advice."

Duran groaned, read over the letter one last time before giving it to his squire who was on a horse nearby then answered.

"I feel the Emperor his strangely generous, Kelimel. Fourty percent of trade revenue can represent a lot if we are to start trading with a whole new world. I'm betting it will represent more than some smaller country's yearly spending."

Kelimel put a hand to his neck, stretching his shoulders.

"Isn't it just a good deal, my lord? The Emperor has seen what he can gain, but he also fears what can come from the other side, so he pumps up his numbers for the first negotiations to appear bigger and meaner."

Duran swatted the commentary aside with frustration.

"No, no. I know how Molt thinks. Every action he does, he does it by making sure that all the odds are with him, and that he's the only one to benefit. What are we missing here…"

Both spent some time silent, trying to think of any way the Emperor could capitalize on the campaign. At some point, Kelimel raised his voice.

"Perhaps he's trying to sow discord and infighting into our ranks?"

The king raised his head, looking at his aide with interest.

"Go on…"

"He did say he would give fourty percent of the trade revenue, but he didn't specify in which proportions… If let's say he intently gave less to the Boritans and more to the Mudwans…"

That was a possibility that Duran could see happening. The Boritan kingdom and Mudwan kingdom were officially allies, but it wasn't rare for frontier skirmishes to happen between the two countries. The only thing keeping the two from going on an all-out war was the watchful eye of the Emperor who didn't like instability among his vassals. But in front of so much riches, tensions could rise rapidly.

Another fact bugged him. The travellers his scouts had met on the road told that the imperial army did come and put a camp near the gate, but left the grounds a few days ago, only leaving a small garrison of a thousand men. It was understandable to leave only the garrison as it would be hard to feed such a huge army without squeezing the area dry of resources, but then why call the allied armies?

Then it dawned on him. _That _was how Molt would bring discontent and infighting among his vassals! An army walks on its stomach after all, and if infighting started, the emperor would use that as a cassus belli to initiate war on the weakened vassals. And if one of the armies tried to leave to resupply, then it could be a cassus belli as well! With the allied armies being so huge, there was simply no way to feed it in its entirety with only supply lines. Ultimately, desertion would skyrocket and the allied armies would implode by themselves!

"Kelimel!"

The aide who had become kind of laid-back immediately straightened, hearing the authority in Duran's voice.

"Make sure our supply line is regularly renewed, and add more guards to protect the supply carts!"

"Yes my lord!"

Kelimel immediately turned his horse and spurred it forward to the back of the army. Duran gritted his teeth. He was a man who simply wanted his country to prosper. Unlike many of the kings and leaders of Falmart, he liked walking in the streets and seeing genuine smiles of happiness towards him, not faces gripped by fear of acting offensively. And the Emperor's plan threatened that prosperity. Not only his safety was endangered, the safety of all of his people!

He would do everything to thwart that plan to the ground!

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**Foreshadowing what's going to happen next in this chapter! I hope you are excited! I'll just say Duran is right _to some extent. _**

**If you have doubts about the "Boritan kingdom", the names of every nation of the allied armies is never specified, only Alguna, Elbe, League principality and Mudwan are mentioned. The "Boritan kingdom" is one of those that never get specified.**

**Red Sazabert:**** The mercenaries did get spotted by the thermal camera in the first chapter, but the scientist who spotted her at that time thought of it as a bug in the program since, well, you don't usually expect invisible people to show up.**

**rmarcano321:** **General Maximus is "just" a general, it's Molt who has the ideas.**

**guest101:**** Emroy's veil (the invisibility cloak) has been brought back to Falmart by Velgard in Olva's bag, so no experimentation for now!  
****I can't answer much concerning the "earth" side of the Gate because I don't want to spoil the story, but this will be taken into account.**

**There we go! Sorry for the later update by the way.**

**See you next week!**


	14. Chapter 13: All in war isn't fighting

**CHAPTER 13: ALL IN WAR ISN'T FIGHTING**

Duran observed the surroundings. He was on top of another hill near Alnus, one man only needed about ten minutes to walk from there to the Gate. A forest nearby granted access to firewood and materials needed to build fortifications, and a river in the forest made sure that water was easily available. And while the hill wasn't very steep, it was still better than flat terrain.

"This will do nicely. Set up the camp here. Also, bring me Faeli."

"Yes, my lord!"

Kelimel saluted, before giving his orders to the officers nearby. While waiting for Faeli, the head of the scavenger divisions of his army, Duran dismounted his horse and let his squire handle it. He stretched his muscles, tensed as he was from five days of horse riding. Faeli came as he finished stretching his legs. He was a man who didn't have the usual build of a soldier, but his knowledge of nature as well as his previous occupation as a hunter assured that when he searched for food, he missed nothing.

"You called for me, my lord?"

The king groaned, before getting in a comfortable position.

"Yes, Faeli. I need your division to start scavenging immediately. I want half of your men to scavenge the forest for anything that is edible. Meat, fruits, vegetables, roots, I don't care what you bring back but it must be in large quantities. I want the other half to go to nearby villages and towns and get as much food as they can. And finally, I want you to take one of your men who's good with numbers to Italica, it should be a two-day ride to the north. There, meet with Count Formal and ask him for permission to obtain a part of his emergency food reserves. The old man is a friend of mine and he owes me, he should accept. Of course, buy anything that is edible too. You have my permission to take as much as you deem necessary from the war chests."

"Yes, my lord!"

Faeli was about to leave, but Duran called him.

"Oh, and I forgot! The men who you take to Italica, be sure to choose men who don't hate demi-humans."

The scavenger division leader was curious at this last comment, but he merely saluted before heading towards his men.

Duran then looked over the hill. His men were unloading the supply carts, setting up tents. In the distance, he could see his wyvern riders ascending to the skies to scout the area for any threats. For now, the situation was under control.

* * *

_One week later_

The camp was now fully built up, and wooden defences had been built at the perimeter. The king himself had quite a large purple tent which housed him and a few commodities. There was some discontent among Duran's men because he had ordered for food to be rationed. As such, the cooks took extreme cautions in what they used for the meals, and used the ingredients completely.

To set the example, Duran ate the same way as his men. A bone broth made from yesterday's dinner remains as well as some bread and a pitcher of wine made his current meal, not quite what a king would usually eat. He had ordered the officers to submit themselves to such a diet too.

However, the same couldn't be said of all the Kings that had arrived at Alnus hill last week. The Toumaren clan warriors were the first to arrive, quickly followed by the armies of the League principality, Esperian kingdom and the Alguna kingdom. The Boritan light cavalry was said to arrive the next day, and the Mudwans shortly after. Duran could already feel the headache he would get trying to mediate the talking between these two countries.

As soon as these armies had arrived, Duran had met with the king of each one, telling about the food situation. He couldn't tell about his suspicions of the Emperor as he didn't know if one of them was loyal enough to publicly announce him as a traitor. The King of Alguna, Count Formal, League Principality and the head of the Toumaren clan agreed and set their soldiers to a reduced diet, but the king of Esperia had politely refused. Fortunately, Duran wasn't known as the Lion of Elbe for nothing, and he had already thought of a way to convince him. Although, that would have to wait for later.

As he finished a cup of wine, he heard noise outside his tent. A few seconds later, one of his guards entered.

"My lord, Faeli has come back, he asks for a meeting with you."

"Let him in."

Duran wiped his lips with a napkin, then looked over Faeli who had entered and knelt in front of him.

"Raise, Faeli. Tell me the news."

The scavenging division head stood up and looked at Duran with uncertainty.

"Bad news I'm afraid, my lord. There was nothing left to buy in Italica. The traders I spoke to told me that Emperor Molt's army came a few days prior and took everything there was to eat. I could have barely filled two carts with what was left, so I left it for Italica's citizens."

Anger filled Duran's mind, and he banged his fist against the table. The empty glass fell on the ground.

"Damn it! That snake had already thought of that… What of Count Formal?"

A slight smile appeared on Faeli's face.

"Better news. I met him, and he managed to convince the Emperor to allow him not to participate in the Alnus Hill campaign. He told him he couldn't bring a sizable troop without endangering the stability of the Empire's breadbasket. As such, the count agreed to let us take part of his emergency supplies, here's the list. However, he told me that with this amount it was you, my lord, who now owe him."

Faeli handed him a rolled-up parchment, Duran grabbed it and read the content. More than one hundred sacks of grain, sixty crates filled with dried vegetables and fruits, fourty crates of salted meat and about sixty barrels of various alcoholic beverages. While all of these were very good news, it still wouldn't be enough to feed the bottomless pit of more than two hundred and fifty thousand stomachs once the allied armies would be gathered together. With some rationing, it would push away the deadline by a week at most.

"Secure these supplies, they may become more valuable than anything in the coming weeks. Make sure that they won't be getting stolen or raided by any means! Ask my second-in-command, Kelimel, if you need any help."

"Yes, my lord!"

Faeli saluted, then left the tent. Duran was left with his meal and the letter of supplies. Despite the fact that only a few armies had arrived at Alnus, it still represented about thirty-five thousand men. He had lead his men multiple times, but it was the first time he participated in a campaign with such a huge army. And for a little while, he sympathized with Molt. The Emperor may be a double-headed snake, but when it came to leading large armies Duran had to begrudgingly accept the old man had the skill.

With the food situation temporarily dealt with, Duran re-focused on how to deal with the king of Esperia who didn't understand the danger of a malnourishment for an army. He was quite young, having sat on the throne merely five years ago after the premature death of his father during an unfortunate hunt. And word was that he was quite the duellist.

Surely he wouldn't refuse the honor of fighting against the Lion of Elbe? If Duran played his cards right, he could get closer to the young king and convince him to set his troops to a lighter diet.

"Guards! Bring me a messenger!"

As he waited for the messenger to arrive, he started to think of the message he would send.

* * *

_Another week later_

The majority of the armies were now gathered at Alnus hill. For now, it was about two hundred and thirty thousand men, all here for a single thing: making sure nothing would pass through the Gate. And even if the allied armies had their points of discontent, they agreed on one thing: boredom was a very real danger to such a huge army.

In order to avoid it, construction had begun last week. With that huge of a workforce, in only a week a wall composed of wooden spikes had been erected at the base of Alnus hill, completely surrounding it. With the forest nearby and the number of engineers each king and leader had brought, it wasn't that long to accomplish.

But if the men had to fight off boredom, then the kings too. The interior of Duran's tent was lit by the opened entrance, showing two sat people on either side of a table.

"Looks like I win, Kelimel…" Said Duran, moving a chess piece and checkmating Kelimel's king. His aide groaned, observing the chess board for a while, before admitting defeat with a sigh and pushing his king down.

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a chess player, my lord. Your wife and concubines surely can give a harder challenge."

"I would be lying if I said no." answered the king with a smile. Kelimel lightly chuckled in response. As they rearranged the chess pieces for another game, Kelimel raised his voice.

"It looks like your worst fears didn't come to pass, my lord."

"Mmh?" Duran looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"With the precautions you took, we still have quite a lot of food supplies. And we've even been selling these supplies to the other armies, so the war chest is growing."

The king sighed in defeat.

"Coins won't be of any use when there's no more food, unfortunately. It's only a temporary solution. I've sent a messenger to the regent in my absence, my wife, for her to arrange a steady merchant caravan between Elbe and Alnus, but it still won't be enough."

As Kelimel had the white pieces, Duran let him begin. A few moves were spent in complete silence, both players focused on the chessboard, until the Kind initiated the conversation.

"Even if the food situation is temporarily dealt with, it doesn't mean it's the only problem…"

Kelimel's expression darkened.

"Ah, yes, the… Snake-folk problem? What was their name again?"

"The Lamii tribe." Corrected Duran.

That had been a huge problem, about two nights ago. Part of the allied armies were a people of snake-like folks, with a humanoid body, four arms and a long snake tail instead of feet. They hailed from the edges of the western desert and were used to an extremely hot climate. Unfortunately for them, two nights ago a light but cold rain had fallen from the sky, along with a strong wind. The men and other humanoid races simply put on coats and capes over their heads, but half of the Lamii tribe had fallen asleep in hibernation, while the other half struggled to keep their eyes open. The consequence had been that a large part of the forest had stayed unguarded for a full night.

Duran and the other human kings had considered banishing them back to their lands, but their desperate plea to stay along with their status as powerful mercenaries had convinced most of the kings to simply punish them with hard labour on the defences being built around the hill.

But that wasn't the only problem. Cultural differences made it hard for the different armies to see eye to eye. The men that came from the countries far to the west of Falmart had a radically different culture to those of central Falmart, which themselves couldn't agree with the men of the north and the east.

A few scuffles had broken out, thankfully with very few casualties, and in order to prevent more of them the Kings decided that each army would make its own camp separated from the others, spread around the gate. Thus, currently there was about fifteen camps of varying size surrounding the Gate from all sides.

"Well, that's simply how it is… Can't please everyone…" declared Kelimel, moving a knight to threaten Duran's bishop. The king took some time to think over the situation, before moving a rook which now threatened one of Kelimel's own bishop. As his aide thought about whether to sacrifice his bishop or move it out of harm's way, Duran talked once again.

"I'm also afraid about Molt… He ought to have heard about us having dealt with the food situation, and it isn't like him to do nothing… Has there been no news from his part? Not even a rumor?"

Kelimel finally decided to sacrifice his bishop and took Duran's bishop.

"There's been a number of rumors, I'm sure you've heard of them, my lord. Not many of them are on the Emperor though."

Duran groaned, moving another chess piece. Indeed, the rumors were numerous in the camp. Most of them were on the Gate, and on what was on the other side. The worshipers of each god proclaimed it as a sign, with different interpretations marking it as a good or bad omen. There were also mentions of what laid beyond the Gate. Some said that Hardy's domain was on the other side, and that the Emperor was afraid of all the demons that could come, hence why he had gathered his vassals. Others said that a land so rich was on the other side that silk flowed like a river, gold grew like flowers and trees with fruits so full of juice that the branches bent down were everywhere.

However, some of the rumors also spoke of some of the beasts that came through the Gate. Small beasts, but still. For now, they had identified two types. One was a small beast, barely reaching a man's knees. It moved with four wheels made of some kind of black material, and a single huge eye on top looking all around. The guards that stumbled on these easily killed them as the beasts were pretty slow.  
The second type they had identified was more problematic. It was even smaller than the previous beast, flew with the help of four wings rotating at an extremely high speed, but it had the same single huge eye. So far, they had only caught one of them thanks to the lucky axe throw of a northern soldier, but there were reports of more of them successfully sneaking by into the night, the guards spotting them too late to do anything. The reports also said that some of these beasts came back through the gate for reasons unknown.

Duran, like all the kings, had seen the carcasses of these beasts and he had no clear answer to this enigma. Some of the kings said that these were obviously crafted by hand as nothing in nature had such clear and defined lines, while others said that they knew literally nothing about the other side, and all kind of strange beasts could live there, including those. Duran saw the points of both sides, but he tended to stick to the second theory.

"Ach, you win again…" Said Kelimel with a defeated sigh. His king was blocked by one of his own pieces to the left and right, he was stuck on his side of the board so he couldn't back away and there was a rook in front of him.

"You need to practice more if you ever wish to defeat me, Kelimel."

"I will, my Lord. But I think it is time anyway."

Duran cast a glance through the opening of the tent and indeed, the light was orange, sign that the evening was coming. That meant it was time for the meeting of kings. It had been decided that every two days, the kings would meet in order to talk strategy and among themselves in order to improve their coordination should a battle happen.

"Bring me my horse and the usual ten guards, Kelimel. Get your horse as well."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Soon, a guard came back just as Duran finished being dressed up in armor. As it was a military meeting, each King was expected to come armed. Just after that, Kelimel came on his own horse along with a troupe of soldiers behind him, ready to escort Duran out of the camp.

They set out of the camp towards today's place of meeting. It had also been decided that each meeting would be held in a different king's camp. Today, the meeting would be held in the tent of a king of the far west. Apparently, the correct calling was "Sultan", although for Duran it was a difference only in name, as he had the same authority as other kings. He had seen the man a few times already, and he couldn't say he liked him. Not because of the man himself, but the woman he always brought with him. She was clad in dark clothes, with only her eyes sticking out of the black turban she wore over her face. Her eyes were those of a ravenous beast, ready to pounce at anything that threatened the Sultan.

The Sultan himself was named Shaham the Third, and he was quite an important part of the allied armies. He didn't bring that much soldiers, only about five thousand, but he commanded the terrifying armored elephants and their riders. Duran had seen the beasts, and he now understood why the conquest of this country in particular had cost so much to the Imperial armies. Only one of those beasts could wreak havoc upon the Empire's prided formations, so if ten, twenty or fifty of them charged at the same time the entire line could break.

They soon arrived at the camp, the guards letting them pass no questions asked. The men there had a dark complexion of skin, much darker than Kelimel's and wore light armor, preferring to wear wide cloth robes and turbans.

That, or they hid armor pieces behind their clothes.

Duran and his men were guided to the largest tent in the camp, in which a wide table with enough chairs for every king were set up. Duran wasn't the first to sit, with five or six chairs already taken. A servant Duran to his chair and Kelimel stood behind him, while his ten men stayed outside.

Soon enough, all the kings arrived. And it was quite a sight. Men of literally the entire continent met and spoke together, drawn together by the Saderan language all had to learn because of their status as vassals. As a cup of tea was placed in front of each participant the young king of Esperia, Dagobert, approached Duran. It was the same King who Duran had to convince a week ago about the dangers of malnourishment of his soldiers. Even if the youngster was a skilled duellist, he was also someone who viewed honor and chivalry in high regard. When Duran had outskilled him during a duel, Dagobert had asked for Duran to teach him the way of the sword, to which Duran answered that he would do it if the young king agreed to reduce his soldier's diet. From that point on, each day King Dagobert would come for an hour or two to train under Duran's tutelage. A relation of teacher and student had formed between the two, Duran taking the occasion to teach him handy tips about governance.

"King Duran!" Said Dagobert. "It is good to see you! You still owe me for this morning!"

Duran smiled, taking King Dagobert's extended hand. During the training session this morning, they took a bet to see who would draw first blood. Only in name, as it was nothing more than a friendly bout, but the first one to hit the other was considered to be the winner. Duran had miscalculated one of his parries, to which his opponent had hit his left arm. The bet was to let the winner drink a glass of the finest beverage they brought from their own land.

"Do not worry King Dagobert, I'm sure Esperian tastes will be in accord to Elbian mead…"

The two them spent some time discussing unimportant matters, for the important matters came when the meeting would begin. Slowly the tent filled as more and more kings came, and when all the fifteen kings were present, Sultan Shaham raised from his seat and spoke to the assembly.

"Well, friends, time to begin speaking about important matters…"

This meeting began like any other.

Except it wouldn't end like any other.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Sorry for the delayed chapter posting, but as I'm moving to a new city for the next uni year I have a lot of things to prepare, which didn't leave me a lot of time to focus on writing. I'll try to stick to saturday releases, but I'm not sure I'll be able to every time. But if one thing is sure, it's that I'll definitely stick to one chapter per week.  
**

**rmarcano321:** **Are things going to get worse? Depends for who...**

**BigBadAud666:** **I'm still not sure. In the original anime, the US didn't take part and honestly as long as the JSDF can handle themselves I see no reason for the US army to take part. Unless there's no big event which will cause many casualties for the japanese. That would be of course not considering an armed invasion from the country you mentioned.**

**BrokenLifeCycle:** **Well, they obviously won't be able to make guns immediately, but you'd be surprised at how humans can be ingenious when it comes to killing... That and reverse-engineering is much easier than thinking something from scratch.  
**

**guests101:**** Her magic isn't useless without a staff. In the Police HQ scene, she's able to use it. Just that the staff gives a higher control over her powers. If I had to give an example, I would say that a mage without a staff would only be able to cut potato into rough halves, while a mage with a staff would be able to peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. It may be a lame comparison, but you get the idea.  
And about the trade part? Well, I won't spoil anything.**

**Again, thanks for the support. I didn't expect people to take the change of story so good, so I'm very glad!**

**See you next time!**


	15. Chapter 14: Clash of opinions

**CHAPTER 14: CLASH OF OPINIONS**

"And that is how your troops will be placed in the eventuality of a battle."

"I see…" Answered one of the kings. He was from a far away country, having finally arrived at Alnus only yesterday, and at every meeting the places of each king's troops were determined around the Gate. Duran's army was on the eastern side, he was the one who had decided it as he was the first king to arrive at Alnus. In the untold rule of "first come first serve" he chose the flattest terrain the hill around the Gate could offer, giving a much stronger impact on cavalry charges from his troops, as well as avoiding his infantry from tiring too fast should they climb up the hill.

In that regard, he let go of the initiative for the post-battle loot distribution, but he didn't really mind. Firstly, the Elbian lands were plenty rich thanks to the almost infinite number of mines of various ores scattered all over the country, and secondly, he preferred his troops not to accumulate loot too quickly. A soldier who already had his sack full of riches wouldn't have as much motivation to fight as a soldier who looked up to getting loot and slaves.

Of course, all of that was in the eventuality that a battle would happen on Alnus hill, and that this battle would be won by the allied armies.

They still had no clue on what was on the other side.

Duran himself had sent a few soldiers through the Gate, but all of them had come back absolutely terrified, saying that Hardy's demons haunted the void between the Gates. All of them had categorically refused to go further and suffer Hardy's punishment.

Duran's train of thought was interrupted as another king raised from his chair. If he remembered correctly, this one was named Volgrim, a lord residing in a land of perpetual cold, where the earth unfroze only for summer and meagre crops could be grown.

Volgrim was quite old, his hair completely grey and his skin wrinkled. However, the attire he wore consisting of mainly mail, fur and few golden jewelleries did little to hide his muscles. His eyes as well revealed a vitality that simply wasn't usually found in people of his age. The apparent weight of his elaborate maul balanced against the table showed that he was no simple old man.

The Emperors of Sadera could have invaded the lands of perpetual cold at any time, but it simply wasn't worth it. As a result, imperial law wasn't even forced there, the imperial senate only asking for a yearly tribute. And because of that, Volgrim barely spoke any Saderan. He started speaking in his tongue, and an interpreter at his side translated his words.

"Lord Volgrim would like to voice some of his concerns regarding king Duran of Elbe."

Duran showed a surprised face for a moment, before nodding to Volgrim to show he was listening.

"Lord Volgrim is grateful that you provide supplies in the particular position the allied armies find themselves in, however he thinks you are using the situation to enrich yourself."

A short silence ensued, before the tent exploded in chatter. They didn't speak loudly. But close to fifteen people speaking at the same time would always generate a lot of noise. Another king, one that Duran didn't know, raised as well.

"I think so too! You squeezed the area dry of resources, and then you sell them to us at inflated prices when there's nothing left!"

Another king raised.

"Me too!"

And another one. And another. In the end, it was ten kings out of the fifteen that deemed Duran was profiting from the situation.

However, you don't insult a lion and expect it to take it freely.

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!" He shouted, banging the table with his fist and raising from his chair as well. "I DID ALL OF THAT TO KEEP THE ALLIED ARMIES FROM IMPLODING ON THEMSELVES! SHOULD I GIVE AWAY MY SUPPLIES FREELY?"

He pointed his finger at all the men accusing him.

"AM I ASKING FOR THE RESOURCES YOU PILLAGED FROM ALL THE VILLAGES ON YOUR WAY? I AM SAVING ALL OF YOU HERE!"

The cries of protest died down a bit as the various kings could see his reasoning. Also, because Duran wasn't nicknamed "The Lion of Elbe" for nothing. His face and his roar intimidated the less experienced kings who had gotten emboldened by the numerical superiority.

"Yes, I took all the supplies there was to take." He resumed, in a quieter tone. "But that was because I knew that the allied armies would find themselves in the situation we are right now. I took my precautions, because none of you took the effort to stock up on more than a week worth of supplies for your armies! Should I be the one blamed here? Or should you?! Where are the caravans coming from Toumaren, Alguna, League and other nearby countries?! Because I see none!"

Of course, it wasn't that there weren't any caravans at all. Just that there were nowhere near enough to feed everyone. The reliance on Duran's supplies was huge. But a large part of the kings could be excused, as their home country was so far they couldn't realistically maintain a supply line. It wasn't the case for the countries Duran mentioned, and a few other who only had to cross a single border to reach Alnus.

And while the Emperor could tolerate a few villages getting pillaged by the allied armies, he wouldn't tolerate a complete region being sucked dry, especially a region so close to Italica.

However, Volgrim didn't back down, as well as two other kings who had stayed up. Duran may be the Lion of Elbe, but Volgrim was the Bear of the Frozen Wastes.

And the bear fears none.

He pointed his finger at Duran at spoke in his language, while the interpreter at his side tried to convey the meaning without repeating the grave insults thrown at Duran.

"Lord Volgrim says… That you are all bark but no bite, King Duran. He says he doesn't fear you, and wants to duel you. If he wins, you will have to give away all your extra supplies. If you win, he will accept to continue to buy the supplies from you."

Of course, absolutely nothing forced Duran to accept. No law or rule told that he had to accept the duel. But two things had to be taken into account. The first thing was that if he fought Volgrim and won fair and square, then the opposition would disappear and he would be able to maintain the important resupplying line coming from Elbe.

And the second thing was that Duran was prideful. He was a proud warrior, a skilled commander and a good king.

And he would be damned to hell if he allowed someone to insult him publicly in front of all of the higher nobility of Falmart.

His intact eye glowed with a dangerous glint, and he put his hand on the handle of the sword at his waist.

"Are you sure about challenging me to a duel, Volgrim?"

No one mentioned the lack of title before the name, but all understood it was Duran's way to insult Volgrim as well. As soon as the interpreter finished speaking, he nodded to Duran, speaking in broken Saderan.

"Yes. I… Ask battle you."

The atmosphere was incredibly tense in the room. And the Sultan's voice was the one to break it.

"Then, by Emroy's will, I will order my men to find a fighting ground, as well as ask for a priest of Emroy to set up the rules. Kings, men of Falmart, come to the fighting ground in about thirty minutes, where the duel shall take place. The meeting is adjourned!"

As the various kings started to talk among each other, only Duran and Volgrim stayed silent, their glares fixated on one another.

* * *

Soon enough, both combatants found themselves in the forest, out of any king's camp. There were two reasons for that. The first was that by fighting on a neutral ground, the Sultan showed that he took no sides in this duel. The second was that it was a duel, not an arena battle. The goal wasn't to make a show for the common foot soldiers. Around were only allowed the kings, their retainers as well as five guards for protection each. Granted, as there were a lot of kings and retainers, it still made an audience of more than fifty people but most of them were guards stationed near to avoid curious onlookers.

A clearing had been chosen and long torches set on the ground to provide light in the night. The kings stood on the outer edge of the clearing while Duran and Volgrim stood in the center, separated by a few meters. At their side stood a man wearing a robe of black and red, the colors of Emroy, as well as holding a large two-handed sword in his hands, the blade stuck in the ground to anchor it.

The priest raised his hands to the sky.

"Emroy! Hear and witness the duel between King Duran, the Lion of Elbe and Lord Volgrim, the Bear of the Frozen Wastes! Let the winner earn your favour as per your wishes!"

He took out a curved knife from his belt and asked the two combatants to approach. He poked their fingers, letting exactly one drop of blood fall on the handle of the sword stuck in the ground, before letting them put back on whatever hand protection they had and go back to their position. The priest took a few seconds to observe how the drops of blood coursed on the sword's handle, and once he understood Emroy was watching he raised his arms once again.

"The ordeal is blessed and authorized by Emroy! The winner of the duel is the one to draw the first blood! Strikes to the head or vital areas are prohibited! You may begin once the blood touches the ground!"

All looked with different expressions as the drops of blood on the sword slowly coursed to the ground because of gravity. Duran took that moment to analyse the situation.

His opponent was Volgrim, a man who despite his age showed a vitality like no other. He wore a long chainmail on his body as well as a tabard showing his heraldry, a yellow bear head on a dark blue background. His limbs were protected by a few armor plates, and his head was covered by a helmet only leaving a T-shape opening from his eyes to his chin. In his hands, he held a heavy-looking elaborate maul, with a thick handle and on top a hammerhead on one side, and a short spike on the other.

Duran himself wore his heavy crimson plate armor which covered his body, and all he had on himself was an arming sword. He didn't expect a battle, so he didn't take anything else when going to the meeting. Considering his opponent, he was heavily disadvantaged. For one, he could wear all the armor in the world, Volgrim's maul would bust it open with a single good hit. After all, the pick on the head of the maul was designed precisely to pierce armor. And the hammerhead would cave in the plates. And as a second disadvantage, unless he slashed really hard, he wouldn't do anything against Volgrim's mail. And even then, he would do more damage to his own blade than to Volgrim himself. No, one of his only options was to stab at the joints. He couldn't aim at the head either, as it wasn't a duel to the death.

For that precise reason, he had borrowed one of his guard's spear. He would have much preferred his go-to battlefield weapon, a poleaxe, but no one here had that kind of weapon.

As the first blood drop finally touched the ground, Volgrim came yelling at Duran, launching a wide sweep with the maul.

He was the first opponent in quite some time Duran would have to take seriously.

* * *

_Back on earth, same time._

In the last month, things had sped up quickly. After the "disaster at the gate" with the exploding truck and shots fired, the Japanese government was under heavy scrutiny. One soldier had died and a few other got injured, and the Japanese population was asking for answers.

And unfortunately, Prime minister Motoi had no clear answer to give. Of course, he himself knew what had happened. By crossing the reports of the recent murders in Tokyo and of the people that crossed the Gate back to the Special Region, it had been understood that these same had somehow sneaked in, stayed a few days in Tokyo then went back in their flashy and explosive escape. He just _couldn't _tell all the security measures had been breached by a mere commando of four people.

And the reports were worrying. A lot of items had been stolen by them, but one of their acts was to rob a library. However, they had only taken the maps displayed on the walls. That in itself wasn't wasn't that bad. But every weapon and ammunition had been looted on the corpses of the poor policemen who died to them. And that was _very _bad.

Now, they knew that on the other side someone had a map of the complete layout of Tokyo and knew at least a little bit about firearms. And on the other side of the Gate, was an army.

And he and the Japanese high command, knew as much as them, if not a little less.

Drones and rovers had been sent through in order to get an early scouting of the terrain. As radio and other signals somehow couldn't pass through the Gate, they had been programmed to roam around until their battery was used to half, then go back to earth. The rovers had been smashed without exception, but the drones were much more successful.

Motoi still remembered his dread when he saw the first footage that had been sent to him. An army, more than one hundred thousand men strong building a wooden wall all on the hill surrounding the Gate.

And as time passed, more and more men joined the growing army. To this day, it was reported that around two hundred and thirty thousand men was installed.

The pictures showed that it was more or less medieval society, with men in iron and steel armor fighting in formations. The military experts at Motoi's side had assured him that nothing they had could threaten Japanese armor, but there was one problem. The Gate wasn't very wide, and the camps surrounded the Gate from all sides.

If Japanese troops were to go through and get attacked, they would have a very short window of time to deploy their firepower before getting swarmed by tens of thousand of men. And that was also a problem for Motoi's plan:

To meet with the other side.

For two weeks now he had quietly raised the number of men and vehicles around the Gate, hoping that the press wouldn't catch on to that. But unfortunately, you don't just hide a tank in a city.

As a result, there were now four tanks stationed around the Gate, one on each cardinal direction with four more held in reserve. There was a garrison of about three hundred soldiers manning the various checkpoints leading to the Gate and patrolling the area. In the very front of the Gate, considering the possibility of a medieval army crossing through, heavy machinegun nests were placed and constantly manned.

And all of that couldn't be hid forever.

So tonight, he would address the Japanese population. Time was to meet the other world. To meet new people, and potential new allies.

They knew nothing of the other world, except that it was composed of seemingly medieval societies. But, and here was the important part, _magic existed._ In addition to the footage of the woman in the police headquarter that was still unconscious in a military hospital now, the drones took a few shots of… Well, "mages", or "wizards", as there was no other way to describe them.

One picture showed a man throwing a ball of fire from his palm on an archery target. Another short video showed a man who had been stabbed with a sword go from dying to perfectly healthy in a matter of minutes. Another showed a woman with pointy ears literally _grow a tree_ from a sapling to a tree bustling with fruits in but a moment.

The usage of magic, if studied and used properly, would _revolutionize the whole world!_

Who would fear the Chinese and their constant dispute over rightfully owned Japanese territorial sea when you could summon a storm?

Who would fear the Fat Rocketman in Korea if a shield could be erected at any time?

They could even end world hunger! What need was there for ten square kilometres of rice plantations when vegetables could be grown overnight?!

They had no basis to know if these things could be done at all. But at the same time... Why not? Motoi was an optimistic man.

Magic wasn't the only thing. What about all the untouched resources? Oil? Gold? Hell, the Japanese would even be able to _control the world economy_ if they put their hands on these…

The benefits were just too great, and Motoi would be sure that the Japanese population would be the first beneficiary to all of that.

As he read for the tenth time the speech he had prepared for tonight, the phone at his desk rang. Motoi picked it up when the now familiar voice of president Dirrel of the United States spoke.

"Prime minister Motoi, a pleasure to hear you…"

Motoi sighed. Once again, Dirrel would try to force American troops on the special region soil, for the very same reasons that Motoi wanted Japanese troops there. He didn't know how, but the American had managed to put his hands on the footage of the female wizard at the police station, as well as part of the footage of the drones. Under threat, Motoi had been forced to accept to send a copy of all the drones would capture.

But he still had the power to say _no_ to the American.

And he would still say _no_ even if it cost him his place of prime minister.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**I'll be moving to a new place next week, so I don't think I'm going to post a chapter. However, I think I'll be able to squeeze two chapters in two weeks. Maybe. I don't know, but I'll try.**

**rmarcano321:** **Well, Duran plays a role because he plays the "cool head" of the allied armies. **

**plasma123fire: ****It bugged me in the anime that men come literally from all the sides of an entire continent, yet they have the same culture. It didn't sit right to me, so I decided to introduce new cultures.  
The jeep that was toasted by the wyverns has been taken by the Emperor of course, he wouldn't have left something like that for the allied armies :). And yes, the allied armies do have some bigger war machines, but it's not things like trebuchets and such. Think more like scorpions. Well, they do have some "surprises" from all over the continent too.  
Detective Gennosuke and his aide, Kanamori are still characters I'll use, but as I've been focusing on the more "political" and "army" side of things I haven't got the occasion to focus on more "personal" stories. So don't worry, I haven't forgotten them.  
And thanks for your propositions!  
**

**Thanks again for the support!**

**See you next time!**


	16. Chapter 15: The calm before the storm

**CHAPTER 15: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM**

9 PM. The time where most of the Japanese population was at home, eating dinner with family and friends. And even for those who were still outside partying or drinking, social media notifications would pass on the Prime Minister's message swiftly.

All the different TV and radio channels played a short message to forgive about the short interruption of their program. And for those who had a screen in front of them, the face of the Prime Minister of Japan, Motoi Shinzo, appeared.

He was behind a stand with five or six microphones in front of him, and a single sheet of paper on it. After inhaling deeply, he began speaking.

"Japanese men, women, children and elderly. Foreigners of all nations watching or listening to me, I have important news for all of you today. We have all seen the mysterious Gate appear in Tokyo recently. And we still have no clue as to why it is there, or how it works. However, what we do know is that there are people on the other side. We've all seen the footage of the first men we sent on the other side. We've all seen the humanoid fox-like shepherdess. We've all seen the wyverns, as well as their riders. And we also know they have attacked us with deadly force. However, We've been careless in authorising such an endeavour. This time, the Diet has accepted my proposal to send a full-fledged JSDF force that will establish a camp around the Gate on the other side."

Motoi took a moment to drink from a glass of water under the stand. He wasn't thirsty, and he had barely begun speaking so his throat was fine. But the idea of announcing something so big, as well as the future problems it would impose made him stressed a lot.

"HOWEVER! It is important to point out that the JSDF will be there only for PROTECTION! There are people on the other side, and we still don't know about their intentions… There are also beasts in varying shape and size, and I believe such protection to be necessary."

He made sure to avoid telling that the people on the other side were in fact an army. But he was confident he could open negotiations and talk a peaceful way out.  
Even if an army was all but a good show of intention. With a little luck, they were as scared as Motoi was.

"Half of the force sent to the other side will be composed of civilians. Scientists, diplomats, engineers, architects… What we want to show isn't our sword. It's what we can bring to those people, with the hope that they will accept them. That day, we will accomplish what humanity has wanted to do since space travel! _The discovery of a new civilization! _In order to represent the entirety of earth, a delegation from each nation will be allowed to cross the Gate once the initial ground will have been cleared of any threats by the JSDF. Then, diplomatic relations will be opened with the nations of the Special Region."

He waited for a moment, letting the announcement sink in.

"I know a lot of you have many questions for me, or the Japanese government. However, I cannot answer them all right now. I will host a meeting with journalists in a three days' time, where I hope your curiosity will be sated. Until then, I hope you will keep believing in me."

Motoi bowed to the camera, then the live recording stopped.

"Are you sure this was a good idea? Many want nothing to do with what's on the other side…"

Motoi accepted the handkerchief his secretary, Kazuma, handed him and wiped his face.

"I don't think so, Kazuma. What you say may be true, but even more yearn to meet new faces… The age of earth exploration is over. The age of space exploration is yet to come. This age… May be the age of dimensional exploration…"

The secretary nodded and followed Motoi outside, to the car waiting to take Motoi to his secured house for the night. As the silent engine quietly rumbled, Motoi watched through the window the city of Tokyo.

For now, the situation was under control. Should he have announced to have only Japanese troops sent to the other side, he would have become instantly the most hated person on earth. After all, the decision to represent mankind in a whole new world couldn't be taken so lightly, and the repercussions from the United Nations were sure to be extremely heavy.

However, he made sure to invite any nation who wanted to send a delegation along with Japanese troops. That way, every country, even the big superpowers, would be forced to comply to whatever condition he had. After all, no one wanted to pass on the chance to have first eyes in the likely goldmine that was the special region. And even better, if a nation from earth offended Japan, the other nations were sure to side against the nation in order to earn more favors from the Japanese.

And as time passed, a question popped up in his mind.

Did he just sign for the bright future he envisioned? A future where Tokyo shined even more than it did currently? A future where famine, sickness and grievance disappeared?

Or did he sign for a ruined world, led by barbarians with no notion of mercy?

For now, he couldn't tell. All he could do was to put his faith into the JSDF's hands, and trust his generals.

* * *

"Heyaaaah!" shouted Volgrim, pulling his hammer back into position.

For now, the fight between the two kings was at a stalemate. Duran stayed on the defensive most of the time, as Volgrim was a tricky fellow. His skill with the two-handed hammer was admirable, and despite it not being a dueling weapon by far he left very little openings.

That said, Duran wasn't to be underestimated either. The little number of openings Volgrim left, Duran exploited mercilessly. And the only thing that kept him from winning by spilling first blood was Volgrim's positioning who let his armor take the blows.

On the other hand, Duran had to be extremely cautious. A two-handed hammer was already dangerous by itself, but in the hands of a trained fighter its threat raised tenfold. A single blow would mean Duran's defeat as the heavy weapon was sure to bust the armor and break some bones beneath.

Another fact which forced Duran to be cautious was his eye. Because of the fact that one of his eyes was rendered useless in a battle a decade ago, he had to do with the other eye who left a large blind spot on his left side. It was a weakness that the Northern King had immediately spotted and used to launch attacks which forced Duran to stay on the defensive.

Both fighters eyed each other, looking for any opportunity and walking in circles. Duran was fortunate to have a relatively open helmet which allowed him to breathe somewhat unhindered, but he could hear Volgrim's labored breathing behind the helmet. The northerner's helmet certainly offered more protection than Duran's, but the thin T-shaped slit left little air in and out.

This time, Duran took the initiative, thrusting his spear at the northerner's knees in a rapid movement. Volgrim immediately shifted his feet to let the spear whistle in the wind, missing the knee by a hair's breadth and launched a counterattack. He stepped forward and swatted the spear aside with a first hit. However, Volgrim's next action surprised Duran. Instead of attacking while Duran was vulnerable with his weapon pulled away, the northerner repeated the attack against the spear.

"_He wants to disarm me!" _Was Duran's thought. And in a way, it made sense. Duran had wisely used the length of the spear to keep Volgrim and his hammer at bay, but if he couldn't maintain that distance between himself and his opponent then he lost a tactical advantage he couldn't afford to lose. And considering Volgrim was tiring faster than Duran, it was understandable the northerner wanted to end that fight as fast as possible.

With that in mind, Duran quickly pulled the spear back at created some more distance. Volgrim pulled back the hammer with a tired sigh and faced Duran, being threatened by the point of the spear.

A string of foreign words were sent at Duran and while the interpreter was fidgeting around on the outside of the clearing, the Elbian was the first to speak.

"No need to translate that, interpreter…"

Indeed, while the words were unknown, it was pretty clear Duran had been insulted once more.

The northern king yelled again as he approached, avoided Duran's thrust and blocked the spear under his armpits. Any fighter would try to immediately pull his spear back, but Duran knew he wouldn't have the time. He immediately dropped the spear, retreated a few steps and pulled his arming sword out of its scabbard.

He had made the right decision, as Volgrim's hammer hit the ground with a loud _thud _where Duran was just before. And once more, a throng of insults left Volgrim's lips.

"He's telling you to stop running away, king Duran…" said the interpreter in a remarkably useless translation.

As he observed his enemy, Duran was now sure he could be a little more aggressive. Stepping forward, he aimed at Volgrim's shoulder with a sword thrust and the northerner parried the blade, then used the shaft of his hammer to push Duran back violently. Stepping away, he saw that the northerner was already mid-swing in an overhead attack. Duran moved aside to avoid and swiped at Volgrim's legs. And just as he felt his blade bite into leather, cloth and flesh he heard more than felt Volgrim's hammer crash onto his left pauldron, crushing the armor with ease. Despite his tired state, Volgrim had managed to reposition his hammer at the last moment, a feat only the best could hope to accomplish.

"Halt!"

The priest of Emroy's voice forced the two opponents to a stop. Duran sighed, and sheathed back his sword. Volgrim immediately pulled his helmet off and threw it to the ground, balanced the hammer on his shoulders and inhaled loudly.

Both fighters weren't in the best state. Both breathless because of the fight and the stress, but also relieved that no serious injury had been dealt.

And now that adrenaline was starting to fade, Duran was made aware of the pain in his left shoulder. His left arm was dangling awkwardly at his side.

At the priest's order, Kelimel started to remove Duran's left arm's armour pieces while a northern soldier helped Volgrim to remove his boots. And as the priest examined the wounds, his decision was quickly made public.

"The two fighters have fought under Emroy's gaze, and the winner has been blessed with His will! King Duran, the Lion of Elbe has a dislocated shoulder, but no blood has been drawn! King Volgrim, the Bear of the Frozen Wastes has a deep cut under his knees, and blood has been drawn! King Duran has bested King Volgrim! Under Emroy's law, all wrongdoing must be therefore acknowledged and excused!"

The northern king may be a hot-headed warrior, but he still was a man who respected traditions and religions. And as an accomplished warrior, he knew himself how important Emroy's blessing was. For that reason, he approached Duran slightly limping and humbly bowed while talking. The interpreter hastily did his duty.

"King Volgrim wishes to apologize for the insults he said towards you, king Duran. You have proved yourself a great warrior, and he is glad to get to know you. Regarding the food situation of the allied armies, he takes back his demands."

Duran figured that Volgrim wasn't bowing very low, but it was low enough for a King making an apology to another. Satisfied, Duran answered with the tone and confidence of a winner.

"I, King Duran of Elbe, accepts your apology. Let us forget the bad blood between us."

Satisfied to see that Emroy had been properly honoured today, the priest announced the end of the duel before almost lovingly taking out his sword from the ground and wiping the dirt on it. Soon enough, all guards were gathered and the noble crowd made its way back to the Sultan's camp.

* * *

"King Volgrim. King Duran. It was a remarkable duel that you fought, and I must congratulate both of you for that display of skill."

While most kings agreed with the Sultan in an approving rumble, there were two or three voices who weren't happy. Because of Volgrim's loss, the situation hadn't changed at all and all the monarchs still had to spend their treasure to feed their armies. Raising his hand, the Sultan asked for silence.

"I congratulate you again, but-"

He was cut by another man who talked in an irritated voice.

"Let's cut to the chase, we all know why we're here today!"

Every head turned towards the source of the voice, and when they recognized the speaker most understood why he allowed himself to speak so bluntly.

The man was covered in mostly turquoise and gold loose cloth and an elaborate turban as high as his head from which a number of symbols and trinkets hung and reflected the light around him. Behind the cloth a well-polished armor made of some kind of brass-like material added even more to the dazzling feeling, and at his belt hung a decorated scimitar of steel, gold, jewels and delicate engravings.

Sardasso the prince of the Seas. If each area of Falmart had their famous monarchs, excluding Emperor Molt, then King Duran the Lion of Elbe represented the centre of Falmart. High King Jormandur represented the north. The red Shogun Kamiro represented the east, but he was said to arrive in a days' time. The Shah of all the Shahs, Cyrus the Great represented the west.

And Sardasso, the Prince of the Seas represented the south. While his lands weren't the strongest in terms of military might, he was the richest of them all, some even said he surpassed the Emperor in wealth. And in addition to his wealth, the man was blessed with a cunning mind and a handsome face which conquered the hearts of any being. It was said that even demi-humans of all sex and size found him handsome. Although Duran thought of it as nothing more than rumors, it was also said he was a descendant of a godly bloodline.

"Large and powerful our alliance may be, without a strong leader we are like a headless chicken! We need to choose a marshall!"

Silence permeated the tent as his words were processed.

Then everything exploded in shouting and screaming. No one could be heard properly as everyone tried to outshout all the others. And frankly, such an effervescence could be understood.

Traditionally, an army was led by the highest-ranking soldier. But when multiple soldiers shared the same rank, then a marshall had to be chosen. However, when fifteen men all kings and monarchs shared the same status of vassal, who was to be chosen?

"I'm the one who brought the most soldiers!" Claimed Count Kagrimm. "Soldiers? You mean your horde of untrained and unequipped levies?" answered Duke Ligu, earning a few boisterous laughs from his neighbours.

"Soldiers? Obviously the marshall needs to have won the most favours from the Gods, so it should be me!" retorted the king of Eldrim, pointing at his helmet with his gauntleted hand. His close ties with the priesthood of Zufmuut was no secret, and the golden plating on top of the helmet sported iconographies of the religious order. He had the powerful chivalric order of the shining lance at his orders as well.

"The Holiest? Don't make me laugh! I have more temples on my lands than you have won so-called "favours" from the gods! Shouldn't I be the Marshall then?" answered back Cyrus the Great, hinting at the large number of pilgrimage sites based on his lands as well as all the temples around them.

Some were less tactful about the conversation, such as Volgrim barking a few words in his language and crashing his hammer through the wooden table before continuing to argue with the other northern high kings at his side.

Some straight up threatened everyone such as Sardasso telling he would have his army of corsair and sailors pillage the coast of anyone that disagreed with him. And based on pretty recent history, he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

And of course, Duran didn't want to be left out. Being the marshall meant being the commander of a force of more than two hundred thousand troops which was quite the feat. In addition to the fame and glory, the marshall would have to choose how, when and who would participate in a battle. And he feared that most of the monarchs had their eyes blinded by greed.

"The Marshall must have the most battle experience, I shall be it!" He shouted.

"Battle experience?" Shouted back one of the monarchs. Duran quickly recognized him as a lord from the far east who sported an impressive mustache and a face full of wrinkles. Just like Volgrim, his age apparently didn't keep him from wearing with ease an exotic armor and a no less impressive curved sword as high as the man wielding it.

"I was there when my father's lands were being conquered by the Emperor! I fought tooth and nail for every inch of ground! And after our defeat and the Emperor going back to Sadera, I had to suppress at least twenty rebellions from vassals who saw my family as weak! I've fought and won more battles than you ever did, Pup of Elbe! I deserve the position of Marshall!"

A few monarchs didn't say anything, as they knew they didn't have the guts and the skills to lead such a huge army. Or maybe it was the fact that the marshall would likely be the target for assassins? It was hard to know. The young king of Esperia watched with anxiety in his eyes as his new mentor, King Duran, tried to defend his point.

Contrary to what a marshall was supposed to do, the allied monarchs were currently all but allied.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**I'm back after having started university, and having set up in a new place.**

**I tried having two chapters ready, but I simply didn't have the time. So for now, here's a single chapter. I may or may not manage to finish writing the second chapter tomorrow, I don't know. Also, a close family member is currently in a very serious condition at the hospital, so I don't have my mind completely focused on writing, I'm sure you can understand that.**

**draegon75:** **that's a war crime, and I'm _sure_ not a single japanese soldier who saw that won't speak about the sight they've seen and how it can traumatize them.**

**BrokenLifeCycle:**** In fact, I think they'll be able to legally send their forces through. You'll see how in the later chapters.**

**V1kingz-98:** **Considering Falmart is a medieval society where 90% of people can't read, dropping leaflets would only give the Allied Armies more fire starter.**

**plasma123fire:**** You suspect right :). It's not exactly tape ghost 10 as it was aimed at an asian culture. The sound played through the Gate are ones made of recorded "Apprehension Engine" tracks. It's basically one of the instruments**** horror movie sound effects are made with, there's videos about it on youtube.  
**

**And well, if we are getting spooked by sounds we know are for horror movies, You can imagine the effect it has on people from a superstitious medieval society.**

**And about the toasted jeep? Well, it's just a wreck now, so it's not that heavy. I assume with ropes and animals pulling it on a cart it wouldn't be impossible.**

**last admiral:** **The allied armies and the empire troops got wrecked in the LN and anime only because the author wanted to. There's no way, even with overwhelmingly superior firepower and technology, that they beat so easily an army composed of countless beings who can fly, use magic (not a lot of them, but still. Elves can fucking summon thunder. No matter what vehicle you use or who you are, you're not gonna walk away unscathed from a thunderstrike. And there's _no way_ the empire has seen that and thought "yeah we're gonna ignore that military power just because we don't like elves lul"). And I assume a lot of other beings can use some form of magic.**

**So no, the JSDF won't just blast away the allied armies.**

**As usual, thanks for the comments, they mean a lot.**

**See you next time!**


	17. Chapter 16: The first rain drops

**CHAPTER 16: THE FIRST RAIN DROPS**

Quietly sipping on a glass of whiskey, the man in a suit turned a page from the report he just received. Some other men would have used their phones or computers to look at such documents, but the man sat in a comfortable chair was old-fashioned.

His reasoning was pretty simple. What good was a hacker if a secret document wasn't on any numeric interface? The only way to see it would then be to break into his work place. And his work place was far from undefended. In fact, he worked in probably one of the most secure places in the world.

The handwriting on the paper was slower to read than clear numeric fonts, but in order to ensure maximum security, it was necessary. Once the report was read in its entirety, he put it back on the elaborate wooden desk in front of him and crossed his fingers, thinking about his future course of action.

The room he was in was very quiet. First of all, it was completely soundproofed. The wooden floor was mostly covered by a large carpet and the left and right walls had libraries filled with books he would probably never read and the far end had a large stylised map of the Earth. At his right was a large window giving a view of a city, and on his left the door to his office.

After twenty minutes of pondering, he made his decision. He picked up the phone on his desk and dialled up the number only he knew. The phone rang two times before it was picked up by the other person.

"Hello, it's me, it's a pleasure to hear you…"

The phone, designed for maximum security as well, let nothing be heard to anyone except the caller.

"Yes, I'm calling about the Gate in Tokyo, I think it's safe to assume we both want things to change concerning the handling of what or who goes through…"

As the person on the other side of the call agreed, the man couldn't help but smirk lightly.

"Well, I think I've got a plan to change that. However, we must make sure that it absolutely never comes to light. Do you agree?"

The other person obviously agreed, and the man in a suit turned the pages of the handwritten report until he found back the part he wanted to share.

"I can provide an initial push for the change to happen, but you will have to give it momentum which I won't be able to help much with, unfortunately."

He waited for a bit as a question was asked.

"Of course, it is a plan of mutual benefit to both of us. I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't the case. After all, we both know how things work in our line of… Well, work. And yes, I will give you some time to think about it before giving me your answer, but you will have to be fast. The Japanese government was already contacted, and they said they will launch the JSDF forward in a week. In order to set up everything correctly, I will need an answer by 6PM. If you haven't contacted me by that time, I will consider it a refusal from your part."

After having confirmed the other man's answer, the man in a suit carefully laid out his plan. Much questions and clarifications were asked, even some changes that he was ashamed his own services didn't think of.

Of course, he didn't admit it. He never would.

An hour later, the plan was completely set up and the other person felt it was quite right too.

"Well then, I'm glad to count you as one of my allies. I will be waiting for your answer, and then I'll begin the first part of the plan shortly. Until then, friend, I wish you luck."

After hearing a similar goodbye, the man in a suit put back the phone on its stand. He felt quite good. His ally, even if not very truthful (then again, who could be trusted completely in his line of work?), would help him achieve one of his goals while push back his opponents' goals.

He felt so good he pushed a button calling the services of his workplace.

"Bring me another bottle."

Without waiting for an answer, he set himself comfortably in the leather chair, waiting for the drink. He might find himself a little tipsy later with what he already drank, but he felt the need to celebrate.

After a butler brought the bottle and left, the man in a suit raised from his chair, filled his glass of whiskey to half, added an ice cube and faced the window giving him an unobstructed view of the city.

Raising his glass, he thought about his words for a moment before speaking.

"For victory!"

He then tasted his whiskey. It was quite a simple wish, but he didn't feel like adding anything else.

After a short pause of five minutes, he put back the glass on the desk and set himself to work. There was still quite a lot to do to prepare his plan.

* * *

_Two days after the last meeting of monarchs._

Duran dropped his sword and groaned out of pain. The young King of Esperia, Dagobert, immediately stopped his counterattack and approached Duran worriedly.

"Are you alright, king Duran?"

The Lion of Elbe groaned again, before carefully massaging his left shoulder.

"Please, call me Duran. We're past honorifics at this point. My shoulder is still bruised because of Volgrim, two days ago. My physicians gave me potions and healed me, but it should still take a few days before everything is back in order…"

Dagobert was relieved that his newfound mentor was fine. The truth was that King Dagobert had only taken the throne of Esperia at the age of fourteen, an age he was barely considered a man by his peers. He was now nineteen, but he was still considered a kid by most of his court.  
The previous king, his father, had died prematurely during an unfortunate hunting accident, leaving the young Dagobert a court full of snake-headed lords and scheming ladies. From the moment he had put on the crown for the first time, he managed to repel four assassination attempts and three conspiracies aimed at forcing him to give it away. And from all of these, only two nobles had been found guilty. He had hunches about the other perpetrators, but no solid ground to accuse them from.

For that reason, he had taken upon duelling in order to improve his chances of surviving, but also so that for just some moments, he could vent out his stress and worries. He had grown mistrustful of the others, even of his closest aides.

Thankfully, he could still trust his two younger sisters, but even had to get them away from the capital in a hidden mansion to protect them. His mother was long passed.

When Duran first approached him with the proposal to reduce the volume of food eaten by his soldiers, he feared a tactic of weakening his army in order to attack him later. But when Duran approached a second time with a duel proposal, he accepted immediately. He had heard of the Lion of Elbe's legendary tactical and sword skill, and out of respect for those he accepted his demands when he lost the duel.

But as they trained an hour or two each day, his mask of distrust slowly cracked when he understood that Duran only wanted for him to improve both as a duellist, and as a king. And while he was far from calling him a father figure, he trusted the Lion more than his own court.

"Maybe we should take some time to rest then, Duran?" Said Dagobert with a smile.

Duran picked the blunted sword from the ground and handed it to a soldier to take away.

"We should indeed, Dagobert. Let's get some refreshments."

He picked up the piece of cloth handed to him by a soldier, wiped the sweat of his face then made his way to his tent, followed by the young king and a personal guard composed of both Elbian and Esperian soldiers.

Once inside, Duran took a bottle of Elbian mead he always kept in a small cabinet and poured a cup for both, then hit his cup against Dagobert's.

"To Esperia!" Said Duran.

"To Elbe!" Said Dagobert.

Cups were raised, and as Duran was about to taste the drink Dagobert's shout stopped him in his track.

"DON'T DRINK IT!"

Alarmed by the urgency in the young King's voice, Duran put the cup away from his lips. One of Duran's guards stepped inside the tent, halberd at the ready.

"My Lord! Do you-"

Duran silenced the guard by raising a hand then looked at Dagobert.

"What's wrong?"

The young King was carefully smelling his cup, and after a while did the same with the bottle.

"The mead isn't right… Smell for yourself."

Doing as told, Duran carefully brought the cup to his nose. At first, he smelled nothing. Just the usual smell of mead. But as he focused, he noticed a different, very light foul smell. If Dagobert hadn't warned him, he would never have noticed it.

"Guard!" Said Duran. "Who came in my tent while I was away?"

"Just the usual servant, my lord! If I remember correctly, it's that Voldaren slave…"

"Bring her immediately! Make sure to handcuff her!"

"My lord!"

The guard saluted, then left swiftly with three other guards in tow. While they waited, Duran and Dagobert emptied their cups outside then the bottle as well.

"Who taught you how to recognize poisons?"

Duran was aware of Dagobert's rise to the throne story, and the young King smiled weakly.

"Mostly myself. I used books to learn and recognize most common poisons, and a few alchemist from far-off countries whom I made sure no one had paid. I didn't trust anyone at the court. Judging by the smell, I believe what was poured in that bottle was Blue Whisper. It's not lethal, but it can knock you out for days if it's not treated immediately."

The Lion brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful.

"Not lethal, huh…"

A commotion outside meant that the guards came back. One entered and saluted the two royals.

"I'm sorry my Lord, we found her in the slave's quarters but she's dead…"

Duran raised an eyebrow.

"Bring her here."

The guard whistled, and the three other guards came in, hauling a demi-human body. Voldarens were a race wolf-like demi-humans with exceptional hearing and smell. Duran found them useful as guards against assassinations, but this one in particular slave was a female one, trained for personal service.

As a king's slave, she wore better clothes than most slaves, even better than a lot of the human peasantry. Her brown fur contrasted with the white of her eyes as well as the light blue saliva frothing around her mouth. Dagobert took a closer look, covering his nose with a piece of cloth.

"No doubt about it, this is Blue Whisper…" noted Dagobert. "She's not dead, just extremely weak and unconscious. She's probably going to wake up within a week, but we won't get any answers from her until then."

Duran sighed. One more problem to add to his long list of worries.

"Guards! Bring her to the physician's tent, and tell them to do everything they can to treat her. I want answers from her. Tell them about the poison."

The guards saluted, before grabbing the body by the limbs and hauling her away. The two royals then spent some minutes thinking in silence, before Duran spoke up.

"What happened is pretty clear. Someone paid or forced her to pour that… Blue Whisper into that bottle, knowing we, or I, would drink from it. Then, once the deed was done, she got poisoned as well in order to prevent her from telling anything about the person she met."

Dagobert knew quite a lot, unfortunately for him, about assassins and their methods so he offered his piece of mind as well.

"She wasn't killed, just put in a state where she can't tell any clue about the perpetrator. They want you to waste time by focusing on her, while the person she met runs away. I doubt she would be able to tell us anything noteworthy anyway."

Now a little bit afraid to taste anything that was in his tent, Duran got one of his guards to grab a pitcher of water from the camp kitchen and sat heavily on a chair, while Dagobert sat on the other side of the desk.

"I don't think I was the specific target." The younger king started. "I would rather tend to believe it was a scare tactic."

Duran sent him a questioning look.

"If someone wanted our death, they'd use a stronger poison, one that would kill, not injure."

The Lion scratched his chin, thoughtful.

"A scare tactic…" He began. "But for what purpose… Who would want to threaten us here? The other side's people? Or our side?..."

Dagobert's expression turned confused.

"From our side? I'm well placed to know about backstabbing allies, but I don't believe someone would want to chase us away, particularly in our situation…"

Then, Duran's expression lit up.

"Of course! The Marshall vote!"

Since the last royal meeting, it had been decided that by the end of the week the Marshall would be chosen with a vote. It only made sense that some of the more ruthless monarchs would want to scare away the competition, as opposed to bribes and treaties that Duran had already been offered.

"Only thing is, we can't strike back…" He muttered.

Dagobert's face turned into one of sympathy.

"I wish I could help you, Duran. I truly do. But…"

"Don't worry. We don't know who the true enemy is, there's no need to make new ones. Let's just be careful from now on."

Dagobert nodded with uncertainty on his face.

* * *

This time, it was in the Toumaren's clan leader's camp that the meeting of Monarchs took place. And strangely, as Duran took place in a chair, he couldn't help but notice how quiet the atmosphere was.

Usually, the various kings would chatter or argue between themselves, but today apart from a few hushes and whisperings everyone looked suspiciously at one another.

As the young king Dagobert sat by Duran, he whispered into his ear.

"Looks like you weren't the only victim of a scare tactic, Duran…"

The Lion of Elbe simply nodded, waiting for the meeting to begin. Once everyone was here, the clan leader of Toumaren, Grandmaster Tullier of the Toumaren knights, raised from his throne. He was a man dressed in a polished plate armour, wearing a tabard proudly displaying his striped green and yellow colours. His head was bald save for a flourishing mustache which he obviously took pride in. Behind him, a squire held a cavalry lance with his country's flag attached on top.

"Friends, it is with glee that I welcome you here! Now, before we begin, I believe I don't have to present the Red Shogun, Kamiro, who came in yesterday…"

The Red Shogun was famous in Falmart, from east to west, for he had defeated with an army of five thousand men an orc horde of more than twenty thousand. The tales told of a single survivor stepping on a pile of corpses at the end of the battle, wielding an armor cracked all over and a bloodied blade snapped in half in his hands. His armor wasn't made of steel, but rather an exotic suit of leather and cloth plates with a mask displaying a red snarling demon's face and a wide helmet with stylized golden antlers on top. The colors were… almost blinding. His clothes were bright red and orange, and the front of his black armour had a large golden sign, probably his family colors. The bards told he never took off his mask because he hid unsightly scars underneath.

The man raised from his chair, lightly bowed then raised his voice.

"I am Shogun Kamiro, slayer of orcs, chosen of Flare and Lord of the Dragon Lands. _Yoroshiku… _"

Despite his far-off origins, the man spoke a perfect Saderan, a feat which couldn't be told of for most of the monarchs. After this short presentation, the Grandmaster turned to the three empty seats of the assembly, each with a soldier of a different country behind it.

"What happened to your Kings? Why aren't they here?"

The three foreign soldiers looked at one another, not sure about who should answer first. After an uncomfortable silence, the closest one to the Grandmaster knelt.

"Grandmaster Tullier, I'm afraid Count Kagrimm has been the victim of a vile assassination attempt. We found him unconscious after eating his meal, and he is currently being taken care of by the camp physicians and healers. I'm his second in command, Yalka Ro Haalu."

Gasps of shock sounded around the table. The second soldier knelt as well.

"Grandmaster Tullier, the same happened to my liege, King Balambra."

Then, the third soldier confirmed the same happened to his lord. The assembly was completely silent. Then, a voice echoed in the almost religious silence.

"Grandmaster, and allies of the allied armies, I have to admit it was one of my servants who succumbed to the poison that was meant for me. And judging from your expressions, similar things happened to all of us…"

Following The Prince of the Sea's declaration, each monarch victim of such an attempt explained what happened to them. In total, it was about ten poisoning attempts with three having succeeded that had fell upon the allied armies. It was more than half of the leaders.

"I think the perpetrator isn't one of us…" Said the young king Dagobert. "We can't afford the risk to lose so much leaders with the numbers we have, so it must be someone from the outside, but who…"

Dagobert was suddenly cut by the noise of a horse galloping outside.

"I have an urgent message for the Grandmaster!"

Following that injunction, the guards let in the horse rider. He was a Toumaren knight, completely breathless. Outside, the noise of a horse breathing loudly as well showed how fast the rider had forced his horse.

"Grand… Grandmaster Tullier! Th… The enemy! There's an… Army… Coming out of… Gate on… Holy Alnus!"

Everyone's ears perked up at that comment.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**Things are going forward! Finally, the Allied Armies will meet the JSDF. But will it be a peaceful meeting? Or one spoken through steel and blood? The answer will come next week!**

**Kirov of the USSR:**** Lightning won't indeed do much physically against vehicles. But all the electronic systems?... One thunderstrike, and goodbye thermal vision, radios, in-board screens and such.**

**draegon75:** **well now you're just playing with words. Unless it becomes an absolute necessity for the survival of the JSDF, no such weapons will be used.**

**Major Simi:** **Thank you!**

**The Lieutenant:** **Huuuh, thank you, I guess? I'll take into consideration your ideas for the future.**

**miguelphenom:**** 1-Destroying the Gate structure would indeed make sense, but then I wouldn't be writing this, wouldn't I?**

** 2-Molt knows Japan has an ally named USA. And he also knows they're one of the strongest. But remember that Molt believes himself (and probably is) one of the most skilled politicians on Falmart. Turning allies against eachother would be considered easy for him (of course, he doesn't know that he probably can't given how differently politics work on Earth).**

** 3- JSDF meeting with the allied armies? I mean, I won't tell anything, but so far absolutely nothing has waranted the JSDF to go to war against the Allied Armies. Remember that the battle of Ginza never took place in my story. So far, they're meeting a new civilization they know very little about.**

**And again, thanks for the reviews!** **Reviews for the review god!**

**I've asked Deadi1025 to use some elements from his crossover between Warhammer 40 000 and Gate "Only War: the Gate Crusade" and he accepted, I strongly recommand you go read it. Even for those who aren't really into the Warhammer universe, the writing is really good and I'm looking forward for the next chapters!**

**See you next week!**


	18. Chapter 17: First blood

**CHAPTER 17: FIRST BLOOD**

«An army ? »

« Who ? »

« What ? »

« We must raise the flags ! »

"No!"

"Who's attacking?!"

Immediately after the declaration, each and every king started launching questions left and right. The unfortunate knight who came with the news felt quite uncertain, not sure how to react at the sight of more than fifteen of the most powerful men on the continent all asking for answers at the same time.

"FELLOW MONARCHS…"

Grandmaster Tullier's booming voice silenced the audience.

"How about we let my knight explain what he has seen…"

With a relieved expression, the knight spoke to the audience. Now that he had had some time to breathe, his could speak normally.

"My thanks, Grandmaster. Just moments ago, the soldiers on guard duty around the Gate came to warn me about men coming out of the Gate on Holy Alnus. They told of men completely dressed in green, followed by beasts of iron and steel from which even more men came out from. Just before I left, they seemed to be starting to build simple defences around the Gate. I then spurred my horse as fast as I could to warn you all…"

Cyrus the Great, Shah of all the Shas banged his fist against the table.

"It's them! They tried to poison us so our armies would be disorganized, then they attack! We have to react before they get ready!"

"I agree!"

"Sound the war drums!"

Just as the assembly was heating up, another, calmer voice toned down the atmosphere.

"How about we think, before attacking an enemy we know nothing about?"

Heads turned to face Sardasso, the Prince of the Seas. His expression was one of a schemer. Grandmaster Tullier who was still on the fence about what action to take raised his voice.

"Then what do you propose, Prince of the Sea? The Emperor told us to keep whatever was on the other side out of Falmart until he could open negotiations, and I believe he will want to send in a senator from Sadera to meet them."

Sardasso scowled.

"I agree with that, Grandmaster. However, we all know why we're the first… "Line of defence", you could say. He's afraid. He knows at least a little bit about what's on the other side, and he's afraid of it. That's why he called us here, so we could weaken the enemy before his legions engage them and win with less losses than if he engaged them at their full strength."

"Are you saying the fact that someone attempted to poison us has absolutely nothing to do with the fact they appeared just after?" said Cyrus, still raring to go.

The various shouts quietened as all of them pondered over their words. While they gave their loyalty to Emperor Molt, none had love to spare from him as the yearly tribute wasn't light, and restrictions were put on the number of soldiers they could field at any time.

"I'm saying…" resumed Sardasso. "If we were to… Make friends with these newcomers. Learn how to use whatever makes them so strong. Then… Molt's head wouldn't be out of the question… And we would be freed of his… Benevolence…"

"PREPOSTEROUS!"

A loud voice immediately sounded in the tent, attracting everyone's attention. A king of a minor western nation had raised from his chair and pointed an accusatory finger at Sardasso.

"Are you implying you would commit high treason?! Against Emperor Molt?! Traitor, let me take YOUR head right now, scum!"

The king then took out the arming sword from his belt, but Sardasso wouldn't be intimidated by a no-name in his eyes.

"I'm implying I would do what I can so the gold used to make my lands richer doesn't go into Molt's hands! You're nothing more than a lapdog if you he gives you "consideration" just because you stick to him like a leech!"

The minor King's face turned red from anger, even more so when he realized he was the only one who had immediately called out this blatant treason.

"These accusations are grave! All of you! All of you are dirty traitors! I'm going to make sure the Emperor hears about this once the filth at Alnus Hill is taken care of!"

Enraged, the minor king put back the sword in its scabbard and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"What you're proposing is extremely dangerous, Prince Sardasso…" Began Duran. "So your option would be to befriend these newcomers… Does anyone else has any other plan?"

"We destroy them and leave nothing in the dust, of course!" Fumed the minor king.

It was Cyrus from the west who first gave his piece of mind.

"These "newcomers" as you said poisoned us, and as we speak they build defensive positions around the Gate. I don't know what's gotten into all of your heads, but we must kill them before they plant their fangs into Holy Alnus like a tick."

High King Jormandur from the north was the second to speak.

"The Shamans gave me bad omens today. The spirits of the ancestors are concerned about the power of this new threat. I don't intend to go against their wishes. I shall speak with them."

Shogun Kamiro from the east raised from his chair.

"Molt invaded my lands, but I merely command the force sent by my divine father, the Emperor of Yamato. The crossing of the Great Ocean is a long and dangerous one, and I have no doubts I'll receive reinforcements to dispose of Molt in due time. I need no foreign help to cut a snake's head. We must decapitate these newcomers then destroy the Gate."

Following this declaration, all the minor monarchs told about what they chose. While the enemy may seem dangerous, and set on building defences around the Gate, who wouldn't be in front of an army they knew nothing about? And the idea of disposing of Molt and his grubby hand into everyone's treasuries was an attractive one.

On the other hand, for many monarchs the Empire was actually a good thing. Paved roads, aqueducts, a greater and richer market, coliseums, but also sanitation, help with disposing of roaming beast hordes and an efficient administrative structure…

It was a hard choice to make. In the end, it was eight monarchs who were in favor of killing the newcomers, and eight monarchs in favor of speaking to the newcomers. Only Duran was left to speak, and his choice would quite literally decide of the fate of more than two-hundred and fifty thousand men.

"My ancestors have fought for independence many generations ago, in the Elbian mountains. We lost to Imperial number and tactics, but also because we were stuck in our old-fashioned ways. This time, I will not repeat the failures of my ancestors. I will seek out knowledge, and the means to dispose of Molt. Just as all of you, I'm tired of his ways. I'm tired of the Empire. What we will do isn't just freeing ourselves, it will be freeing the whole of Falmart. We will speak to the newcomers."

With his decision taken, it was the course of the Allied Armies that was taken. It wasn't a light one. Now that all of this was said and done, the Emperor wouldn't ignore having his orders disobeyed, and even more disobeyed with the intention of acquiring knowledge and weaponry to overthrow him. In the worst case, Molt would even wage war against the traitors.

But the thought, the mere thought of being free from the Empire's grasp made many wanting.

* * *

"Faster, faster, we need those defensive positions and quick!"

A handful of "Yes general!" answered Hazama's voice as the pace quickened around him. It has been merely twenty minutes since he passed the Gate along with the JSDF troops. High command had told him that the original intention was to open negotiations with the nations of the Special Region, but also to set up a defensive position around the other entrance. In order to do that, the past week he had tens of trucks prepared, filled with large sandbags one meter in height and width to build fortifications.

"Third line of defence completed General!" Reported one of the engineers.

"Good. Continue like that!"

The engineer saluted and left, while Hazama looked over the map displayed on the screen in front of him. The defence around the Gate had been thought of with the medieval army in mind. Each line of defence could work alone as they didn't know if the other side's men would leave them time to build them. Fortunately, it had been twenty minutes now and the only activity coming from the soldiers on the wooden wall surrounding the Gate was observing them. And they had used that time wisely, the engineers not stopping a single second.

The third line of defence, the one that was closest to the Gate was comprised of large sandbags forming a thick wall, on which machine gun emplacements had been set up. Behind them, a large number of mortar teams were finishing readying to rain death on anything that came in their direction. As flyers had been spotted in the enemy army by the reconnaissance drones, vehicles fitted with AA equipment were ready, their radar dishes already spinning in search of targets.

The second line of defence comprised of the vehicles which first brought the large sandbags, parked in a way that soldiers could safely shoot from behind them. A few sandbags walls were set up as well made of remaining material from the third line that hadn't been used. Huge areas of barbed wire connected each truck. Between the second and the third line, tanks were setting up in positions in order to allow crossfire between each tank. They were mostly equipped with cannister rounds as the main force of the other side comprised of infantry, but they also had about twenty armor-piercing rounds each as larger monsters had been spotted by the drones. APC's were already unloading their occupants on the future position they would be in. They would stay with them in order to provide heavy machine gun fire and also to pull back soldiers if the situation got hairy. Hazama would have liked to have a minefield set up as well, but it would have been too time-consuming.

Finally, the first line of defence wasn't a defensive position so to speak. Highly mobile armored cars brought forward soldiers whose job would be pour out the biggest volume of fire possible then quickly fall back if the medieval army wasn't running away at this point. There were two reasons for them to do so. The first one was to test the enemy's willingness to fight, and the second one was to test out the effectiveness of bullets on an enemy they knew very little about.

However, things weren't just as Hazama would have liked it. The first one was that instead of being given the more recent Howa type 89 battle rifle, they had the type 64 instead. Another "toy" they hadn't been given for this campaign was the Howa type 96 automatic grenade launcher. Hazama could only dream at the effect such a weapon would have on tightly packed enemy formations. Alas, all of the better stuff was kept for the Coast Guard and the JSDF on the border with the Chinese because of their aggressive behaviour.

In regard to armor however, Hazama's wishes had been answered by high command. He had sixty Type 10 Main battle tanks to protect that Gate and twenty Type 87 Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, in addition to countless Komatsu LAV's, APC's and trucks to offload everything that was needed. There were ten tanks placed in each cardinal direction, with twenty more kept in reserve.

"General Hazama!"

Hazama turned to the soldier speaking to him from inside of the mobile communication center.

"A report from the soldiers guarding the first line of defense! There's someone currently making his way towards the Gate!"

"Any threats?"

"Some kind of envoy on horse, followed by seventeen people each holding a different flag coming from the south! There's also a flying unit hovering over them. No threatening behavior detected!"

"An envoy? Has he told anything yet?"

"No sir, they're still half-way."

Hazama turned to one of his officers, but he already knew what to do and was currently starting a nearby LAV.

"Someone find diplomat Sugawara and direct him there!" Said the General as he ran to the passenger seat and buckled his seat. The vehicle drove around to the southern side of the Gate, passed the third line of defense and made its way to the place where the report came from. A squad of ten soldiers was standing behind a Komatsu vehicle with the second lieutenant leading them looking through his binoculars at the approaching group.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, Hazama buckled off from his seat and ran to the squad, followed by the officer.

"General Hazama, sir!" Shouted the second lieutenant leading the squad and saluted, while the nine other soldiers kept aiming at the "envoy" with their battle rifles.

"Anything new since the report?"

"No sir! They've stopped half-way, and they remained unmoving ever since! They've been shouting something, but none of us can understand it."

Hazama took out the binoculars, and looked with more care at the group waiting in the no-man's-land.

The envoy was richly dressed in a green and yellow striped robe with a golden outer lining, and he held a silver scepter in his hands. Behind him, the seventeen people holding flags were very varied. Some wore medieval European full plates, some wore lighter scale armor with lot of loose clothes and turbans, some wore chainmail and fur, and as he looked over the extreme right of the group, he froze.

Not believing his eyes, he rubbed them, checked the binoculars, then looked again.

"Something wrong, General?" Asked the officer at his side.

"Am I… Am I seeing something wrong or is that a goddamn samurai on the right of the group?"

Both the officer and the second lieutenant turned their binoculars to the right, and both blinked in surprise. The man was definitely wearing samurai armor, with a sashimono in his back holding a flag. He held in his right hand a cavalry spear, and a bow and arrows were strapped to his saddle.

As a descendant of a famous samurai bloodline, Hazama knew quite a lot about them thanks to all the picture and photo books his family kept. And as he looked closer, he realized it wasn't exactly samurai armor. Instead of the traditional colored leather and iron plates such armor was usually made from, he could distinguish some kind of scale, certainly not metallic. Maybe it was from some strange beast of these lands? The resemblance was uncanny.

A second car drove and stopped near them from which the diplomat sent with the JSDF force came out and approached the group.

"I'm here, mister Hazama! Who am I to meet? I've already been briefly briefed."

"Those people." Said Hazama, handing the diplomat his binoculars.

"Anyway," He said, turning to face the group of soldiers. "Major Natsuko? You will follow and protect mister Sugawara, take five soldiers from second lieutenant Tadano over here."

"Yes sir!"

"Perfect! Mister Sugawara? I believe you already know what your task is. Remember that the JSDF are there only to initiate contact between our nations. Possibly even trade. Not war. Not aggression. We're only there to make sure about their intentions. However, we also have to make sure they won't attack us."

The diplomat smiled at the General.

"Of course, General. I'm no fool. Mister Natsuko, are your men ready?"

The major pointed to five soldiers standing on the side. As it was a meeting with a foreign diplomat, they made their best to look better, brushing aside any dust or stains that could have gotten on their uniforms.

"Let's go, then." Said the diplomat, followed by the six soldiers.

As the men walked away from the APC the squad was taking cover behind, Hazama took out the radio hanging at his belt and asked for reinforcements.

* * *

'_Ah, finally' _thought the envoy. He wasn't a thin man, obviously enjoying life's pleasures, and it showed on his large belly. He had been repeatedly asking for a meeting with someone important for a while now, and it was only after some kind of horseless chariot approached that now a group of seven men came dressed in green. As they approached, he noticed one of them was wearing some kind of black suit instead. As soon as the group of otherworlders was close enough, the envoy raised his voice.

"Welcome, otherworlders! I am Laius Zu Epeia, retainer of Grandmaster Tullier of the Toumaren knighthood! I was chosen to represent the globality of the nations that gathered here to watch over the Gate! To who do I owe the pleasure of speaking to?"

The man dressed in black stepped forward and spoke as well.

"I am diplomat Sugawara, under command of General Hazama of JSDF. We come from nation of Japan in peace!"

Laius Zu Epeia was surprised to hear that the man was using High Saderan to speak, a language used only by the Empire nobility and their vassals. It made administrative work much easier for Imperial officials, and it reinforced the Empire's influence on other nations. It was an old dialect that originated from the founding of the Empire.  
Granted, the man had obvious flaws in his speech, but to know that the Imperial culture spread as far as to other worlds…  
Pleased to hear that these men were civilized, Laius continued in a more amiable tone.

"If you come in peace, my liege as well as the monarchs of the allied nations would like to meet lord Hah-za-mah! However, they demand that you stop fortifying the area around the top of Holy Alnus. If you come in peace, then there isn't need to fortify, is there?"

The diplomat looked behind him at the state of the fortifications already built, then back at Laius.

"General Hazama will be pleased to meet your liege, Epeia Mister! Many things to talk about! Meet here again? And shou-"

Sugawara's voice was suddenly cut by a shout in a foreign language by one of the men in green, then suddenly all of them threw themselves to the ground. Curious and confused, Laius looked around, searching for the source of their strange behavior.

It was then that he heard a roaring sound behind him.

And he turned just in time to see the fireballs explode in the middle of the group of men he led.

* * *

Hazama watched with horror as multiple ball of fires came from all sides of the medieval army straight on top of the meeting between the medieval delegation and the JSDF.

The fireballs exploded, sending flames everywhere and turning to cinders the men victim to the explosions. Screams of pain sounded in the mostly silent area, screams of men burning alive and desperately asking for help. Unfortunately, there was no one to help them.

Hazama was somewhat conscious of the second lieutenant at his side screaming in the radio for his men to retreat immediately, but he was more focused in a morbid curiosity at the scene happening in the no-man's land.

When all screams stopped, all that was left was a few burning flags still miraculously standing up, two horses that had somehow survived, running away as fast as their legs could carry them and unmoving burnt corpses.

Fortunately, the JSDF delegation was mostly unscathed, with two of them helping the Major (who had burn marks on his legs) to run and another who was trying to put out flames from his uniform while running. Their reflex to throw themselves to the ground had saved them as the flames had roared above them.

A great clamor came from behind the wooden wall, the very air shaking from the tens of thousands of screams of anger.

This took Hazama away from his stupor.

"All men prepare for a full-on assault!" He shouted to whoever was listening. After a moment of realization, he took his radio from his belt and clicked on the right button, sending his voice to every single radio of the force sent to the special region.

"All men prepare for an assault! Conditions of the engagement are to shoot on my order and my order only! Third line, unload everything you have at them then immediately fall back to the second line if needed! Second line, let the tanks deal with the big stuff, aim at the officers in priority! Logistics, I want you to focus on resupplying! That is all, men! Believe in your weapons, believe in your aim, and believe in our cause! For Japan!"

Shouts of approval came from every Japanese soldier on Alnus Hill, faces were steeled, weapons readied, mortar aim calibrated and tank rounds loaded.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**I've realized I've been dragging this part of the story for waaaay too long. But I'm trying to limit myself to 3k words per chapter as I'm busy with other stuff (mainly university). And well, it's hard to write things that make sense with only 3k words per week without sounding like "And they passed the gate and they met with the allied nations and they..." etc etc.**

**Now, for the reviews:**

**zheminer:** **Yes. But well, there's a reason all those electronics are installed. Without them, good luck having the same accuracy and fire rate as before.  
And thunderstrikes ain't the only magic the people of Falmart can cast.**

**miguelphenom:**** He named Zorzal his heir precisely because Zorzal is completely stupid and easy to manipulate. And as the most powerful man on Falmart, I think Molt has very little reason to fear an assassination attempt. Remember the praetorian guard of the Imperial Palace is shown as weak in the anime because they got slaughtered at Alnus Hill, and the ones in the Palace were replacement troops. In normal times, the praetorian guard protecting the Emperor's family is considered the best of the best of all the Imperial forces.  
And about the mercenaries? Yeah, they'd be considered terrorists by Japan. But Japan doesn't know who sent them. All they know is that the mercenaries came from the other side.  
**

**Luna:** **Well, if they were to choose a marshall before every monarch of the allied armies was there, it would cause a huge diplomatic incident. Hence why they had to wait so long to vote for one. Sad indeed.**

**NlaEid: ****Thank you! **

**Pacman:** **Yup. You read right.**

**TheGeekno72:** **Haha, maybe, maybe not? Who knows?**

**DownTownAlpha: ****Stay tuned!**

**Thanks for the interest, and see you next week!**


	19. Chapter 18: Emroy's bounty

**CHAPTER 18: EMROY'S BOUNTY**

In case the Toumareni envoy didn't get a positive response to the peaceful meeting request, each monarch had ridden back to his camp to lead his troops if need be.

And each and every one of them had noticed how the fireballs that fell upon the delegation had come from _behind _the troops of the Allied Armies.

"WHO DID THAT?" Roared Duran. "WHO IS THE TRAITOROUS BASTARD WHO LAUNCHED THOSE FIREBALLS?!"

Only silence answered him. Kelimel and Duran's personal guard. The nearby soldiers. Even his court mage remained silent.

"KELIMEL!"

His aide immediately snapped at attention.

"Yes lord!"

"BRING ME THE HEAD OF THIS… FILTHY…"

The rage filling Duran's mind kept him from telling any further. Not that Kelimel needed more to understand. As he turned his horse and picked ten nearby mounted knights to follow him, Duran's voice sounded once again.

"Kelimel, wait!" The King's voice sounded more composed. Finally, rational thoughts had come back and allowed him to think. "Don't kill the traitor! Bring him alive!"

The aide saluted and left with the knights in tow.

Grinding his teeth as he waited, he observed the situation.

The men in green on top of Alnus Hill has built simple defences, and he failed to see how they were so sure it would protect them against the tens of thousands of men that could assault the place at any given time. But at the same time, he could already spot a few advantages that gave them an edge. The first one was those kinds of horseless carriages he had seen drive around the hill, transporting men and equipment. And the second one, the most obvious, were the steel and iron… Beasts? Chariots? Machine? It was hard to describe. It reminded him of the war elephants brought by the Sultan Shaham the third, but bulkier and with a straight snout. Just by their size, he could imagine the havoc it could wreck by crushing men and beasts alike under itself.

Thankfully, the place his camp was set was on top of a nearby hill near Holy Alnus, allowing him to have a pretty good view over the wooden fortifications surrounding it.

And what he saw angered him to no end.

"That fool!"

He could see an army crossing one of the large wooden gates of the wall, and as he squinted his eyes he recognized the banners of the western monarch who thirsted so badly for Molt's attention. Duran could couldn't even remember his name, just his title: Tzar.

"You there!" Duran pointed to one of his horsemen who immediately faced his king. "Go talk to that fool! We cannot afford to make enemies with the otherworlders now that we declared we would fight off Molt's oppression! I don't care how!"

The horseman acknowledged the order, before spurring his horse forward the Tzar's army crossing the gate. He still had some time as the army hadn't crossed it in its entirety.

And as he looked over the allied armies around him, he was glad to see none of them had the same foolish idea. At his left and right were the armies of Dagobert of Esperia and Balambra of Shartim who had their men in formation, but not advancing.

The armies at their respective sides weren't advancing either. As there wasn't enough place for all the armies to attack at the same time, two or three other armies were camped behind them, including Sardasso's. He couldn't see any other armies as they were on the other side of Alnus hill, but he was glad at least half of the forces of the Allied Armies were smart enough to realize weakening themselves when they had just basically declared war on the Empire wasn't a good idea.

Plus, the men in green had accepted to meet the envoy. Duran didn't know what was said, but that simple fact proved they were open to talking.

* * *

Tzar Alexei watched with satisfaction his troops getting ready to attack. He didn't bring a lot of his countrymen, but what he lacked in manpower he compensated with mercenary troops. The chivalrous order of the Flying Feather, the various clans of trolls that lived on his lands and human and demi-human mercenaries from other countries made up the bulk of his forces.

One of his retainers approached him before kneeling and spoke in the language of his people.

"_Tzar Alexei!"_

"_What?" _Answered Alexei.

Before the retainer could answer, a horseman he couldn't recognize approached. His heraldry was complete unfamiliar to the Tzar.

"Your highness!" The horseman exclaimed. "I come from King Duran with a message! He implores you to refrain from sending your men to the men in green! We cannot afford to-"

The Tzar was quick to cut the horseman in his speech.

"King Duran can think whatever he wants! My loyalty is to my country and its people! The riches coming from plundering the other side will come to me, and to my lands! Now tell Duran that he may be the Lion of Elbe, but he's nothing in comparison to the Emperor! And I'm not about to risk myself and everything I own for some fleeting project! Now leave!"

Without waiting for the horseman's answer, he looked over his men, seeing that now most of them were ready. He may be eager to get rid of the men in green, but he was no fool either. He brought the attention of the horn bearer beside him.

"_Send in the trolls."_

The musician at his side nodded, before bringing the great horn in his arms at his lips. He let out three long bellows which sounded over the entirety of the army. Soon enough, the troll clans he had hired charged forward, roaring as they did.

About a hundred trolls, all under different tribes but all lured by the Tzar's promise to give them actual lands to settle on without being harassed by the Tzar's armies. The reality of the situation was that the Tzar intended to use them as cannon fodder, intentionally sending them where they would have the most casualties. Then, by the end of the fighting he would kill the remaining ones and finally have his people settle on and exploit the mountains rich in various minerals.

Trolls were terrifying opponents on their mountains, and by luring them out not only did he take away their usual terrain advantage, he also obtained a powerful meat shield for his soldiers.

As he watched the trolls charge up the hill, he heard some kind of strange noise he had never heard before. Some kind of regular staccato, as if suddenly a horde of woodpeckers came to life and assaulted an entire forest, soon followed by the particular noise of a horse charge from the other side of the hill.

He smiled. Some monarchs from the other side seemingly decided to attack the men in green, unlike his peers on his side of the hill. And judging from the noise generated by the horse charge, it must have been massive.

Soon, he realized the staccato he had heard was from the men in green's weapons, as flashes of light appeared from their strange black wands accompanied by the same sounds.

A handful of trolls fell to the ground, but they soon got back up and resumed their charge up the hill. The rest of them wisely raised their arms to protect their only weakness: their eyes. A grey cloud of dust followed the trolls as whatever the men in green were shooting clattered against the thick stone skin and the wounds quickly regenerated thanks the troll's legendary healing ability.

The fools. Did they not know that most conventional weapons were useless against trolls? Traditionally, troll hunting was done with fire, or an arrow through the eye, directly to the brain if one wanted to harvest their blood and organs.

Satisfied to see that his cannon fodder was doing just as he predicted, he spoke a few words to the horn bearer at his side and the musician let out two long bellows this time.

The mercenary infantry he had hired let out a loud warcry, before marching forward to the top of the hill. At the same time, The Chivalrous Order of the Flying Feather's horsemen and his own cavalry behind him prepared to move. With the mercenaries and his own army, he had about five hundred horsemen and four thousand foot soldiers.

More than enough to deal with the meagre forces of the men in green. He could barely count more than a thousand men in green on foot on this side of the hill. The most likely threat would come from the giant snouted iron beasts he could see further up the hill.

He raised his mace up in the air.

"EMROY!"

The horsemen behind him all answered as one.

"EMROY! EMROY EMROY!"

And as a cloud of dust raised from the hundreds of horse hooves trampling the ground forward, the same shout kept being repeated.

"EMROY! EMROY! EMROY! EMROY!..."

As his infantry kept going forward, he led the horsemen to the side in a pincer attack. Unfortunately, the men in green had put their men in a circle around the Gate, thus there wasn't any unprotected side to capitalize on.

_"Men, keep going forward! While the infantry keeps them occupied, we will storm past them and slaughter directly their leaders who are hiding cowardly behind their soldiers! EMROY!"_

Once more, the name of the God of Darkness sounded as the horsemen charged as one forward. Tzar Alexei knew there would be some casualties among his troops by doing such a reckless move, but it was little in comparison to the advantage that would come from taking out the enemy leader directly. And he also noted how the men in green used seemingly only ranged weapon. Hitting a moving target was way harder than a standing still one, and he counted on the speed of his horsemen to minimize casualties. Plus, the men in green's defenses were laughable. Some kind of metallic link, followed by a short wall barely reaching the height of a man.

_"Spread! Spread apart! Don't make easy targets for enemy arrows!"_

The horsemen did as per his orders. Now that they were noticed, a part of the men in green stopped aiming at the struggling infantry and moved their firepower to the horsemen. Men started falling left and right of the Tzar but he kept spurring his horse faster and faster up the hill. He heard a whistling sound above him, and he shouted to give himself courage.

"EMR-"

* * *

"Nice shot, Sergeant Major!" Complimented Hazama over the radio. The leader of the mortar divisions let out a simple "_Thank you, General!" _in response before continuing to rain death on the cavalry that foolishly tried to charge up the hill.

For now, they were taken on two sides. The northern side where Hazama was, where a force of about five thousand men tried to attack up the hill. It failed horribly. The infantry who was barely half-way to the JSDF's third defence line were being lit up like matches brought close to a fire, and the cavalry division wasn't fairing any better under the mortar fire.

And the tanks didn't even fire their main guns yet.

A moment of tension had stressed him earlier when the infantry's firepower couldn't wound the strange rocky beasts coming forward, but he was relieved when heavy machinegun fire started dropping them like flies.

He could already see them starting to run away, the movement of panic quickly spreading through the medieval army.

He picked up the radio at his belt and tuned to the frequency of the man leading the First Combat Unit, Colonel Kamo.

"Colonel, how are things on your side? Over."

The radio stayed silent for a while before an answer was given.

"_Sorry sir, things are getting hairy here. A really large army is attacking us, I'm counting more than fifty thousands, in a combination of infantry, armored beasts and-"_

Suddenly, the Colonel's voice was cut by the sound Hazama recognized a shooting handgun, quickly followed by a raging roar over the radio.

"Colonel! Colonel, are you alright?! Over!"

"_They're sending in flying units in massive numbers sir, and a few of them manage to get past the AA fire! But we're alright. We've had a few casualties, nothing major. I've had to call in the reserve tanks to deal with their number, they're already starting to break! Over!"_

"Casualties? How many? Over."

"_Three confirmed, seven more being treated by medics. They didn't reach the second line if that's what you're wondering, but they're using… Well, magic, there's no other words. So far we've seen them launching fireballs, stone spikes, some kind of energy beams and some other stuff. Reports say that bulletproof vests are enough to deal with most of these. Thankfully, these casting bastards are easy to spot so we've focused our fire on them! Over!"_

"That's three too much Colonel, I want you to route that army as fast as possible. Have the tanks drive over them if needed!"

Hazama tightened his fists. The first military casualties since World War Two, and it was under his orders. This was unacceptable!

"_Alright sir! Over!" _Answered Colonel Kamo.

Hazama was itching to go see how the battle was going on the other side, but doing that would mean that he didn't trust the people under his orders. And if he showed that, he would lose all respect from his troops. Instead, he ordered for any fire to stop as the enemy army on his side, now completely terrorized, tried to fit through the wooden gate they came through in a complete and utter rout.

The horsemen trampled the infantry in their uncoordinated galloping, the infantry ran over the bodies covering the ground and larger monsters sent men and horses alike flying in their desire to go away as fast as possible.

And as the adrenaline started to die down, many younger soldiers started puking over the realization of what they had just done. Because this wasn't a battle.

This was a massacre.

* * *

The shock of this sight wasn't felt only in Japanese minds.

Duran and his closest soldiers, on top of the camp his army was set on, watched wordlessly the sight of the Tzar's army being destroyed.

His army may not have been the most numerous and he didn't have the best soldiers, but still. An army five thousand strong was a force to be reckoned with. And the men in green were outnumbered at least three to one.

But even then. The Tzar's army didn't even reach _half _of the distance needed to get in close quarters with the men in green.

His cavalry corp of five hundred men? All veteran and trained soldiers? Gone, reduced to a pulp by fire from the heavens.

The hundred trolls? Beasts that no sane man would even consider fighting? Beasts that could regenerate a chopped limb in a single day? Only a handful were left, hurling men and beast alike in their path to safety.

The four thousand strong and prideful men, chanting to the god of war in defiance? Cut apart by bright flashes of light, loud explosions sending tremors that could be felt on the ground Duran stood on, and left with a meaningless death. Over two thousand men died in mere minutes before they realized only death awaited them, and chose to run away. Duran could only thank whoever was leading the men in green, because even he didn't wish for such a thing to happen to his opponents.

Or did he?

The running men slowly turned to routed legionaries in his mind. The countless bodies on the ground turned into mangled wyvern riders and their mounts. And Molt's disformed body laid on the ground in a pool of blood.

And he smiled.

No more noble sons and daughters sent in "education" to Molt's court, being basically taken hostage.

No more famines, caused by the Empire's greedy hand taking away much needed resources.

No more insufferably smug expression on the Imperial family member's faces as he renewed his yearly oath of loyalty to Him in his throne room.

Focused at the vision in his mind, he barely listened to the scout at his side reporting over the Red Shogun's, Cyrus the great's and six other nation's complete failure in assaulting the hill from the other side, resulting in the very same fate he could see in front of him.

He had even forgotten about traitor amongst his ranks who had cast those fireballs.

The soldiers at his side were the same. The young and fiery nobles who were pestering him to send them to "trample the men in green like an ant" were silent. The soldiers and priests of Emroy who were on the verge of mutiny after seeing such a "treat" and not sent to spill blood in Emroy's name were silent.

Nothing could be said at the industrial scale of killing that had just happened.

* * *

**It** had been woken up too early. **It** was angry. **It** was hungry.

**It **looked for a prey. **It** had hunted for weeks the long-eared mortals in the forest, but they were hard to catch, and not numerous. In order to satiate **It's** unending hunger, It had looked for a more substantial source of food, choosing to look for another mortal's nest.

There, they would usually by the hundreds if not thousands. And they would raise animals which were easy prey to **It**.

Flapping its huge wings, **It **saw such a dwelling placed against a river. A square dwelling, no doubt hiding plenty of food and with no means to defend against **It.**

Then again, what could defend against **It**?

Under its long life spanning multiple millennia, **It **had fought only a handful of mortals which could keep up with **It's **power. But none of them could ever wound **It **seriously.

As **It **was about to descend upon his prey, **It's **nose picked up a familiar smell. Fire. Blood. Metal. _Fear. _

A mortal army was near. Standing in tight packs and with slow response time, they made the ideal food for **It. **And even more, **It **wouldn't have to move aside their rock and wood dwellings to reach them.** It **wasn't afraid of them. **It **never was.

Switching the position of **It's **wings, **It **flew towards the source of the smell.

An army of green mortals, defending the top of a hill against a much more numerous mortal army surrounding them.

Whatever. **It **never took side. **It **just killed and ate until **it **was satisfied.

With a loud roar, the Flame Dragon nosedived towards Alnus Hill.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**Here's Alnus, and the first contact between the two nations. I did say at the beginning of this story that I wasn't interested in writing big one-sided massacres, hence why meeting at Alnus Hill is taking a single chapter. And why I skimmed over the main assault from part of the allied armies.**

**Major Simi:**** They did indeed, hehehe. Now it's the Allied Armie's monarch's task to try to get it back up.**

**rmarcano321:**** Now why would I spoil that?**

**HyperionATLAS: ****That was my plan from the start and I plan to stick to that. Part of the reason I stopped writing my previous story was because chapters were too long and I realized over time how hard it was.  
**

**Kirov of the USSR:** **I would tell my fav historical song if 's channel didn't get deleted :(  
I think I miss the most landknescht songs.**

**DownTownAlpha:** **Thank you! Truthfully it felt like to me that people didn't like that much the part with Inspector Gennosuke and co so it feels really good to know at least one person likes it! I didn't forget about that character (nor the surviving mercenaries) so they'll come back!**

**TheGeekno72: ****Well, someone must butt in at some point, right?**

**That's all for this week! Thanks for the comments, and see you next week!**


	20. Chapter 19: Check

**CHAPTER 19: CHECK**

As the firing stopped, the air was filled with the sound of men and beasts alike fleeing for their lives, screaming in terror. That scene appeared on both sides the JSDF had been attacked. The smaller force on Hazama's side had been cut to half before they fled, but it had been a different matter on Colonel Kamo's side. With a force attacking them ten times the size, Kamo had to call in the twenty reserve tanks in addition to the already present ten tanks on his side to avoid unnecessary casualties.

Unfortunately, it didn't prevent the loss of three men, and seven more who had been hit by what appeared to be magic. Fireballs, beams of energy, flying stone spikes but that wasn't all. He had been surprised when suddenly a thunderstrike came out of nowhere and hit one of AA guns. The vehicle's targeting systems had been fried, but the crew was relatively fine and had immediately started replacing the broken parts.

Thankfully, what little magic users the medieval army could field were easy to spot, and even easier to shoot thanks to a few sniper teams, mortar fire and straight up massive machinegun fire until one of the bullets hit the magic caster. After being made aware of their threat, Kamo had ordered his troops to look out for those, and the magic users were quickly taken care of.

Now, all that was left was to thin out the enemy ranks until they understood they had no chance to get close. It didn't matter what the enemy launched at them.

Cavalry charges were cut down by machinegun fire. Infantry formations broken by grenades and mortar fire, then picked off by rifle bullets. War elephants, armored giants, any kind of beast with a thick armor or hide was blown to pieces by the tanks shooting their main gun. Massive hordes or flying humanoids, even pegasus riders and some kind of flying lizard riders were shot down thanks to the massive volume of AA fire, causing even more damage when the corpses fell on the infantry below.

All of this killing didn't leave the JSDF soldiers who never experienced war stone-faced. Quite a few both young and old soldiers had to stop shooting for a few minutes to relieve themselves of their stomach's content, horrified by what was happening.

The JSDF kept killing.

And the enemy soldiers kept coming.

They didn't understand. _Why did they keep coming? _Each assault left the earth with too much blood to absorb, and bodies ironically creating protections for the soldiers behind them.

Fortunately for them, sanity finally regained the feudal's minds, and a mass rout started when a particularly precise mortar shell struck a wizard casting a large fireball. The magic went haywire, turning into a tongue of flame immediately burning the nearby soldiers to cinders.

With Alnus Hill itself exploding in front of them, invisible projectiles cutting them by the hundreds every second and now mages turning against them, soldiers started to flee as fast as they could, the movement quickly spreading through the entirety of the soldiers assaulting this side of Alnus Hill. A few pockets of foolish resistance tried to go forward, but they were quickly shot down.

With the last enemies desperately running, Kamo ordered for the firing to stop. The deafening firepower left the atmosphere silent, the screams of terror of the surviving feudals strangely quiet on comparison.

Satisfied by the outcome, Kamo picked up the radio at his belt and picked the General's frequency.

"General Hazama? Colonel Kamo here. Over."

"_What is it colonel? Over."_

"The fighting on my side has been dealt with. Three casualties, seven wounded on our side. One AA gun disabled, currently being repaired. I'd say about thirty thousand casualties on the enemy side. Overwhelming victory. Over."

"_These brave souls will be remembered. How much ammunition left? They still have troops which haven't engaged. Over."_

Now that he wasn't focused on the enemy, Kamo took his binoculars and looked behind the retreating enemy. The fresh troops he had noticed earlier were still there, but he could see some of them retreating in proper order back to their camp, while some other were clearly struggling to maintain ranks despite the punishment dealt to their allies.

"Logistics are currently resupplying. Even if they have fresh troops, what we just did to them should prevent further attack, at least for some time. Although I have to say the science boys will be happy once the ground is cleared. Over."

"_How so? Over."_

"Magic sir. We've dropped quite a few of them, that means that there should be at least some survivors. I've sent teams to retrieve the bodies. And… Well, I know that sounds really unbelievable, but will you hear me sir? Over."

"_I would have never believed that a Gate to another dimension would appear in Ginza, colonel, so yes I have to say I'm inclined to believe supernatural occurrences now. What is it? Over."_

"Well, part of what attacked us were clearly samurais. I couldn't hear what they were shouting over the gunfire, but there's already rumors from the soldiers on the front that they may have been shouting words closely resembling ancient Japanese language."

There was a short silence over the radio.

"_That's… Interesting indeed. But it's not our problem to deal with. See if you can make some prisoners for interrogation, we still need to know about this world. Over."_

"Yes sir! Over."

Kamo put back the radio at his belt and as he was about to pass on some orders, a shout interrupted him.

"Hey, am I the only one hearing that?"

The colonel turned to face the soldiers who just spoke, a mortar crewman who was watching the sky with concentration on his face. As soldiers nearby strained their ear and did their best to avoid making any noise, a distinct noise could be heard over the distant screams of the fleeing enemies.

A roar. A roar filled with rage, followed by the rapidly closing whistling sound.

"What the…" whispered Kamo, before a soldier who sported his binoculars up in the sky screamed.

"DR… DRAGON!"

* * *

The flame dragon flew over the fleeing soldiers, breathing fire all the while. The devastating strafing run burned hundreds of men in an instant, and all semblance of order fell apart amidst the allied armies.

"RUN!" Shouted Duran. "RUN! YOU FOOLS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

His soldiers didn't need his advice to do so, the order merely waking up some of the slow-minded ones.

To merely think about fighting the Flame Dragon was foolishness, and proof of an incredibly large ego. Fortunately, the monarchs of the allied nations weren't fools. For the most part, at least.

The number of soldiers didn't matter. The equipment didn't matter. The training didn't matter. The Flame Dragon was a force of nature, and one might as well try to drink the oceans with more success than fighting it.

Sure, Duran would most likely lose at least a fourth of his men by allowing this rout. But it was better than defying a being as ancient as time itself.

"IT'S… IT'S COMIIIIIIIING!"

The panicked shout was quickly followed by terrified shouts as foot soldiers pushed even stronger on their feet, and horsemen desperately spurred their horses forward. Duran looked back, and he watched, wide-eyed, the Flame Dragon quickly flying over in his direction.

The night sky contrasted greatly to the tongues of flame already escaping its snout, lighting its face in an ominous manner. It's red scales the colour of blood, and in its eye a primal hunger that would never appease. It cast a large shadow, hiding the moonlight like a dark omen of destruction.

It wasn't a symbol of death. It wasn't a symbol of chaos. It wasn't even a symbol of hate. Just pure primal rage and hunger, fuelled by an unending thirst for killing.

The beast flew over Duran, letting out a large tongue of flame eat up scores of men who died screaming, while the sheer blast of the flames hitting the ground threw Duran off his horse. The Lion of Elbe got up as fast as he could, lest he died trampled by his own men, and joined them in their run to… Wherever the Dragon wasn't.

"My lord! King Duran?! Has someone seen the king?!"

A familiar shout nearby caught Duran's attention, and he noticed his aide nearby, shouting to whoever would listen to him.

"Kelimel! Over here!"

Kelimel galloped to Duran with relief on his face, then slowed down, allowing his king to mount on his horse.

"Let's get out of here, my King!" shouted Kelimel, urging the soldiers out of the way as he forced his horse as fast as it could. Thankfully, the war horses of the Elbian army were trained to ignore fear, and their eyes were hidden so they couldn't see the Dragon. For that reason, most of the horses could still be controlled with relative ease.

As he left the killing field, Duran glanced one last time behind him. The Flame Dragon was lighting up another column of men, seemingly from Dagobert, the king of Esperia. Duran could only wish him the best, before focusing back to the escape.

* * *

"_TAKE IT DOWN, TAKE IT DOWN!"_

Hazama's voice screamed through every radio the JSDF had, but they didn't need his orders to shoot. The moment the reptile had showed up, every Japanese gun had lit up, letting out a deluge of lead on the beast.

Unfortunately, it was to little effect. The beast was flying fast, way too fast for any significant number of bullets to hit it at the same time to deal lasting damage. The tanks couldn't raise their main guns high enough to hit it, and the AA guns didn't seem to have any more effect than regular machinegun fire. Mortars and unguided rocket launchers were useless on such a mobile enemy, and they didn't have any air support. Even if they did, there wasn't any zone for any fighter jet to take off, and helicopters couldn't be taken through the Gate in one piece. And finally, any ground-to-air missile they could have was still on the other side of the Gate. High command didn't deem it necessary to send them in with the First combat Unit led by Kamo and Hazama.

They needed the beast closer to deal with it. But getting it closer meant risking a terrifying flame blast that could take tens of men in an instant. And they couldn't get it closer for the time being anyway. Each time it approached the JSDF positions, it merely flew away, seemingly only annoyed at the bullets striking its scales.

Simply put, they didn't have anything to strike it hard enough to floor it. Once it would be floored, then the tanks and the mortars would be put to good use. But until then…

Once the shock was passed after repelling the Dragon for the third time, Hazama observed the beast, looking for any weakness to capitalize upon.

The scales shrugged off rifle, heavy machinegun and AA fire alike. And they covered the beast in its entirety. The scales on the belly were lighter in color, maybe a potential target? Hazama kept that in mind, looking over the rest of the beast. The leathery wings seemed like a weak spot, but they moved way too quickly for anyone to lock on their aim long enough. Finally, was the head. The scales looked even thicker than on the rest of the body but if that beast followed reptile biology as the modern world knew it, then the brain should be there. Unfortunately, it was too small of a moving target to hit accurately.

Once more the Dragon tried to approach the JSDF, but a rain of lead fell upon the beast who roared before going back for the weaker prey that were the medieval armies who fled in a complete and utter rout.

Hazama and the entire JSDF staff simply weren't trained to deal with such a monster. The closest situation the General could think of would be engaging enemy helicopters without any AA capacity. Usually, the safest option would call for a retreat before waiting for reinforcements. Unfortunately, they couldn't, the Gate was too much of a bottleneck to retreat without casualties.

There weren't many other options. One could find a thick forest or a hiding place, then bait the enemy helicopters to approach close enough. But such a plan relied on taking the enemy by surprise. And, obviously, the Dragon was aware of the JSDF soldiers who repelled him every time it came close.

But as he thought about the idea, Hazama's expression lit up.

_There was a way. _

* * *

**It **looked upon its prey. Diving down, **It **contracted its muscles, breathing out the flaming liquid on another column of mortals, the screams of the dying sounding very pleasantly in **It's **ears.

However, once more **It **glanced at the green mortals on top of the hill. **It **wasn't that hungry, but **It **didn't appreciate the fact that they defied **It.**

After all, **It **had preyed upon the mortals for millennia. **It **feasted as much as it wanted, and the mortal feared **It **rightly so. **It **did whatever **It **wanted.

And then, here they were. Each time **It **approached, **It's **scales would be prickled unpleasantly, and **It's** wings would get a few holes. Nothing **It **couldn't heal. However, **It's **pride was hurt deeply. And each time **It **was forced to fly away, **It **resented the green mortals more and more.

And once more, **It **approached from a different angle, and this time he didn't feel the prickling feeling on **It's **skin. Did the mortal finally understand they couldn't do anything against **It**? Good. **It **flew in front of a large green beast with a straight snout, intent on killing it first in order to instil fear. **It **gathered the flaming liquid in **It's **throat.

And then all hell went loose.

* * *

"_NOW!" _Screamed Hazama. Immediately, a storm of lead fell upon the beast's wings. The orders were very clear after all.

Shoot _everything _that could be shot. The machine gunners shot their weapons in full auto, the riflemen emptied their rifles directly upon the leathery organs, the AA guns did what they were made for, and the results were quick to show. The sheer amount of lead tore through the leathery midsection of the wings, cutting apart large sections of skin that fell in a rain of blood and gore.

With its wings now virtually non-functional, the dragon got caught by gravity and came crashing on the ground with a mighty noise, letting out the flaming breath he was preparing all the while.

"_Tank, retreat! Shoot every heavy weapon we have at that thing!"_

The tank that had been chosen as a bait had its tracks bite into the earth, then retreated at full speed. Meanwhile, the remaining tanks sported their guns on the beasts and shot HE shells at the monster. Explosions rang out, raising clouds of dirt, dust and blood. Just a few seconds later, the whistling sound of mortar shells falling upon the beast raised even more dust.

The dragon couldn't even be seen anymore, but that didn't stop from the JSDF from unloading the heaviest they had at it. The chaos was worsened by the soldiers who picked up the rocket launchers, leaving a white trail behind every projectile sent at the beast.

It was a terrifying sight.

Mounds of dirt being raised high up in the sky, hiding anything inside. Yet, the flashes of the explosions flickering through the grey and brown screen, the occasional flame tongue casting ominous shadows, the roars of primal rage louder than all the gunfire directed at the beast…

The scene was terrifying in more than one mind.

However, their hearts rejoiced when after a full minute of hellish destruction, the roars finally died down after having lost in intensity slowly but surely.

"_Stop firing, I repeat, STOP FIRING!"_

It took a few seconds, but eventually the last mortar shell fell upon what Hazama hoped was a carcass by now. Everyone watched with anxious eyes, but nothing could be seen because of the thick dust and smoke cloud.

It took five more minutes for the smoke to clear out completely.

And when it did, a collective sigh of relief washed over the JSDF soldiers.

Of the body, little was left. The stomach was reduced to a gaping hole. The tail had flown off at least fifty meters away. The wings were no more. The chest was reduced to a mix of bones, blood and meat. The head was there, but the bottom jaw had disappeared somewhere, and the eyes had become two holes.

Sighs of relief turned into laughter. Laughter turned into victory shouts. And soon, the entirety of Alnus Hill was vibrating with a single world, repeated over and over.

"VICTORY!"

* * *

Molt sat in his tent, bored. It had been weeks. It had been weeks since he had sent the allied armies at Alnus Hill, and there was no news. Well, no particularly interesting news, at least.

But Molt Sol Augustus was a hunter. And any hunter knew that rushing over to a prey only made it more likely to escape.

So Molt waited, biding his time. He had a large supply for his army. All of them ready to move at any moment. The only thing he waited for was a particular message.

And his efforts paid off, as a messenger presented itself later today. He brought a scrolled piece of parchment, handed it to the guards then left. After passing through the hands of the court wizard to be sure it wasn't trapped.

Back on his campaign throne, a smaller than the one in Sadera but still impressive nonetheless, he unrolled the parchment and carefully studied its content. Once he understood the coded message, a rare smile formed on his lips.

"Laelius!"

A young boy, the Emperor's squire, hastily came at his liege's side.

"Bring in General Maximus, and tell him to order the soldiers to prepare to move out. We leave tomorrow morning."

The squire saluted the Emperor and left, while Molt raised from his chair towards his lectern. He picked up a feather, dipped it in a small bottle of ink, then started writing on a new parchment.

_Pina Co Lada, my daughter…_

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**I have to say I'm pretty proud of how things are going. This story is kind of my "personal achievement in progress", to put it in words. So seeing that people like it... It's hard to describe how good it feels. Anyway, here's the reviews:**

**rmarcano321:** **why don't you ask me to tell you the whole plot while you're at it?**

**MadClawDragon: ****I wouldn't say I made magic more powerful. More like I made people more creative with it. People tend to forget how diverse magic can be, and how it can affect a society. Not saying I know exactly how it would be, but I like to imagine how it would change things.  
**

**DownTownAlpha:** **"Just imagine the dragon being a tank. A big, flying tank. Now, fire!"**

**EndimyonFromHyperion: ****Thank you! And well, they don't know it's a suicide rush until they've started being cut apart by firearms, right?**

**HyperionATLAS: ****Well, for your answer lel. But I'll just say that for the future, slaying a dragon can have _very big _consequences on the environment.  
And to be fair, I hesitated between letting the Dragon just wounded or killed, but then I remembered a single rocket from a rocket launcher took one of the dragon's arms. If that was enough to tear an arm, I couldn't see how the dragon could survive such a bombardment. I also think the dragon is too prideful of a beast to just ignore the JSDF and go away without getting wounded or hit somehow.  
**

**BrokenLifeCycle:**** Well, let's just say they didn't expect feckin' Smaug to appear all of a sudden. Also, the JSDF force sent in my story is only there to initiate contact and prepare the ground for the civilian scientists and diplomats that will come just after them.**

**Cooldude:** **It is, or at least it was before it was deleted. Thankfully, some songs remain on the platform.**

**Chara:** **If you don't have any empathy, then yes, I guess a massacre is funny.**

**Gilbert Gellones:** **Huh, well, that wasn't an information I expected to learn on this side but good to know! I'm not sure I'll use it however, but I'll keep it in mind if I happen to need to write a... "forceful" interrogation.**

**Well then, that will be all for today folks. Keep reviewing for the review god, and see you next week!**


	21. Chapter 20: Checkmate?

**CHAPTER 20: CHECKMATE?**

They ran.

They ran as far as their legs could carry them.

They removed their armor as they ran, hoping to run just a little bit further.

And they only stopped when the horses fell from exhaustion, and the legs couldn't support the weight of the body anymore.

Duran fell on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Kelimel's horse couldn't support the weight of two full-grown armored men for long, and both had to continue on foot. Speaking of Duran's aide, Kelimel was currently on his knees as well, heaving as the exhaustion forced his body to reject his stomach's contents.

Just like his men, Duran had removed most of the pieces of crimson armor he usually wore. The only remaining piece of equipment was his breastplate and leg armor which he couldn't remove while on the run.

It took ten minutes of rest for breaths to come back to normal, and for minds to cool down. Well, as much as a mind that just suffered an attack by the Flame Dragon could.

"King Duran, are you alright?" asked Kelimel. Duran answered with a weary smile.

"As good as the day I lost my left eye, Kelimel. What about you?"

"Could be worse. Still… The Flame Dragon… I would have laughed if someone ever said to me that I would see it…"

The Lion of Elbe answered with a dark chuckle.

"Heh, just as I would have…"

Some time was spent in silence, as both inspected their surroundings. They were in a large grassland, at the border of a forest. Probably the outskirts of the Schwarz Wood. A small stream bordered the forest, from which a good amount of men was sating their thirst. Speaking of soldiers, this rout had been a disaster. It was chaos. Men hacked their way through friend and foes alike in their desire to flee, and many veteran soldiers died simply trampled by the hundreds of men running over them.

It was night, but the full moon gave enough light to see without torches. Well, see as best as a human could during the night. Scared by the night, terrorized by the Dragon and anxious about their very survival, Duran noted that his men were starting to gather around him. A circle of four or five meters in diameter was left around him and Kelimel out of respect, but the crowd was thickening with each passing minute.

The majority of them were Elbian soldiers, but the Lion noticed a few soldiers from other nations who had probably lost the main body of their army. But in all of their eyes laid a fear for their lives, but also a fear for everything they knew.

For if the Flame Dragon was awoken, then entire nations would burn.

They were looking for comfort, choosing to join the bravest person any of them knew: King Duran. Maybe they hoped some of that bravery would rub off to them. Maybe they just didn't know what to do.

Duran raised, climbed on a small rock nearby so that he could be seen by everyone.

"Men! We are going back to Elbe! In our current state, we can't fight anything! Prepare to move, gather your comrades and wait for my order!"

With a clear order given, the chain of command slowly came back to life as if nothing had happened. Sure, they were still scared about the dragon, but what could they do? Duran's order was a good first step to safety, as well as a step to normalcy.

As the crowd moved and surviving officers started barking orders, Kelimel approached Duran, speaking in hushed tones.

"My Lord, do you hear it?"

The Lion focused on his hearing, but he couldn't hear anything noteworthy.

"What is it, Kelimel?"

"That's it, my lord… We can't hear anything. Do you think the Flame Dragon is gone?"

"Or he's feasting on the corpses…"

Kelimel shuddered at the thought, but as a good soldier he didn't let it affect his mind.

"If I take a hundred or two soldiers, my lord, I can go check on the situation. Try to retrieve the equipment we left while running. And if the Dragon's gone, I can even retrieve supplies from the camp…"

Duran looked over his men and just like him, most of them had dropped their weapons and removed whatever armor they could. And an army without the appropriate gear was as good as a slightly better disciplined levy of peasants.

And in addition, they were still traitors among the ranks of the allied armies. Be it Molt who likely orchestrated the poisoning attempt, or whoever had ordered the mages to turn the meeting between the allied armies and the men in green into a disaster. Under-equipped and separated as they were, Duran's men made easy targets for anyone with ill intent. With a little luck, they had all fled the region after the Dragon's appearance but Duran didn't count on luck for his plans.

"Alright, do what you can, Kelimel. But remember, this isn't a suicide mission. If the Dragon's still there, take whatever equipment you can then go back. I'll wait for you at castle Tubet. I will stay under Count Watt's hospitality for two weeks. If I hear nothing of you until then, I will assume the worst has happened and head to the capital."

"Yes, my lord!"

Just as Kelimel left, another man came running towards the King. Duran put a hand at his dagger, the only weapon he hadn't discarded, before recognizing the uniform of his soldiers. This one had a pin in the shape of a bird on his left breast, sign of his station as a scout in the Elbian army.

"My king! My king! I have important information, let me through!" Said the man, pushing aside the men on his way.

As soon as the man came close enough, he knelt in front of his king.

"What is it, soldier?"

The man didn't immediately answer Duran's question, choosing to take a few seconds to catch his breath instead. Then, he spoke in ushered tones, in a way that only Duran could hear.

"_The imperial army is on the move, my king! They attacked surviving members of the allied armies while they were disorganized!"_

"WHAT?!" Shouted Duran, before realizing he brought too much attention. He continued in a quieter tone.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"_Yes my king! While Count Kagrimm's troops were reorganizing, imperial troops engaged them and judging by the numerical advantage, I have no doubts the count's army will be wiped out…"_

"What about the other monarchs?"

"_I have no news, my king, but I saw many signs of Imperial ambushes in the entire region around Alnus Hill…"_

Duran sighed wearily. Another problem to add to his already long list.

"Fine… Go then, keep watching Molt's army…"

The Lion watched with apprehension in his heart as the scout left. Finally, he understood Molt's plan. From the beginning, the Emperor knew about who was on the other side. From the beginning, he knew how hopelessly outmatched Falmartians were to the men in green. And now, he knew that it was Molt who orchestrated the poisoning, in order to sow distrust among the allied monarchs. It was Molt who had ordered a few rogue mages to infiltrate the armies, and who ruined the contact attempt between them and the men in green.

He seriously doubted it was also Molt who commanded the Flame Dragon, for if he commanded such a powerful being then he didn't need vassals in the first place. He could have just sent the beast to raze any country against him to the ground. The beast had probably been attracted by the noise of the men in green's weapons, unfortunately for the two parties involved.

And now that the allied armies were battered, disorganized, scared and helpless, then the imperial legions fell upon them, wiping them out like leaves in the wind. Duran didn't know what would happen to the men in green, but it was a question for later.

And once most of the damage was done, then Molt would invade the virtually defenseless countries. And with their numbers lowered so much, then the remaining allied kingdoms would never be able to face the Emperor's army even if they all came together in a grand alliance.

However, not all hope was lost. Not until the Legion marched on the Elbian capital. And not until the position of the men in green was confirmed in this conflict. The idea of a capitulation loomed on his mind. Would he surrender? It would likely avoid village and city sacking by the Empire, but Molt would also likely make sure to do everything in order to avoid another revolt, which would lead to repression on the civilian population.

It was a tough choice to make. What was sure however, was that he needed to make it back to safety in Elbe. Until then, he had to consider himself into enemy territories.

With such thought on his mind, he made his way to the stream to satisfy his thirst. He would wait a while for his men to find back the main body of the army, then he would force march back to his homeland.

* * *

_A few days later, back on earth._

After Japan's decision to go to the other side of the Gate, an international turmoil began. Nations began to desperately scramble whatever team they could on the short notice, recalling the best experts they had at their disposal.

The special region was a goldmine. Of that, there was no doubt. The Japanese government told everyone of the battle that happened, and of the conditions in which it started. Many Japanese citizens started immediately protesting over the few casualties and the military involvement, but it was too late.

The entire world wanted eyes on the other side. And Japan had taken the most risks to ensure they could. A few protests wouldn't stop the hunger of billions of eyes.

Each nation that wanted to send a delegation to the other side had to contribute financially to the operation in order to pay for all the buildings that would house the scientists, diplomats and government representatives. And while it wasn't said officially, the Japanese government accepted bribes in order for other countries to send more than the allowed limit of thirty members per country and amount of material to bring with them.

Based on the first footage (The Japanese government made sure to avoid sending in footage from the battle, while the bodies of said battle were being buried in massive unmarked graves unknown to the public), it was safe to say that life on the other side was carbon-based. Like earth. And if it was carbon-based, then it was a safe guess to make to think that petrol, gold, minerals, plants and wildlife was similar. It meant that those resources could be gathered and sent back home. However, the existence of magic was also revealed.

Most country leaders stayed cautious of such a statement, for they had trouble believing it without a proof. But on the other side, they knew the Japanese wouldn't make such a statement without proof.

For that reason, it wasn't rare for up to half of the delegation to be composed of scientists dedicated only to the study of that new… Energy? Material? They didn't even know what it was or how it looked.

The countries which agreed to send people to the other side were numerous. Of course, the United States, Russia, China and Japan would. The richer countries of Europe, South America, Asia and even Africa, almost everyone wanted a piece of the pie. The only ones who didn't were those that didn't care about the special region, or couldn't. Even the countries that had execrable relations with Japan such as China or South Korea were allowed, although at a higher price.

Some were skeptical, about all of this, some even feared the possibility that just like the Gate appeared out of nowhere, it would disappear one day, trapping all the people sent to the other side. But the greed was stronger.

But all that was wanted wasn't only research. Some people had other ideas. For example, ideas about how access to what was on the other side. Obviously, Japan would have an enormous advantage over what would go back to earth, be it by taxation or simple refusal to allow the goods through. And it didn't sit right with them.

And those people had means and ways to obtain what they wanted, when they wanted.

The Japanese Ministry of defence in Tokyo was where all the military matters of the country were managed from. And obviously, that also meant all matter concerning the Gate and the Special Region.

A list had been sent by each foreign government who wanted to go in, and then carefully discussed by a committee of experts in order to estimate if the equipment sent along a country's delegation was to be allowed through, and if it posed a threat to the operation's security.

But here lied a problem. There were _a lot _of lists to analyse, in a short period of time. The time at which the foreign delegations would be sent was one week after the initial JSDF force went in. That meant that a lot of the lists were just quickly read over by a government employees who had a list of expert's phone numbers to call at any moment if there was something they didn't recognize. The amount of information was huge, so small mistakes from time to time could be excused.

Two guards in the ministry did their usual security check, walking over the portion of the buildings that had been assigned to them. As per their usual duty, they checked the hallways, the bathrooms while the other rooms were locked from them. They had a few master keys closely monitored back at the ministry's armory in case they saw or heard something suspicious inside a closed room, and those master keys were _always _in safe hands. Each duo of guards had one in case they needed to investigate a place.

It was late in the night and the building was empty, save for the flickering of the guard's lamps who swept over the corridors. Even the usual late workers were back home at this point.

As they neared over the server room, both checked their surroundings, making sure they were alone, then got to work on the locked door. While one of the guards kept watch, the other did one final security check before getting close to the numerical pad of the door.

He swiped the master key in the form of a card over the numerical pad, waited a few seconds, then it glowed green and the sound of the door unlocking echoed in the empty hallway.

He smiled. He pushed the heavy door with some struggle as it was more of a bank safe door than a simple door. The over-cooled air of the server room washed over him, making him shiver a little.

According to the information sent to him earlier today, the place he needed to go was the server 47-D. He walked in the rows and rows of humming machinery until he found the right row, then the right server.

He had to be quick.

He unlocked the glass pane covering the server with a key conveniently "forgotten" by another employee earlier in the guard room, then took out his phone and plugged it to the server. The server room was closed of from the public internet or any type of connection, but thanks to the smartphone now it was.

Thanks to the hacker assigned to their team, the cameras of the entire ministry had been tampered with today. The official reason was that the camera system was getting upgraded because the JSDF were afraid someone would try to steal intelligence from the special region. The irony of the situation was killing the guard. The unofficial reason would likely never be known. And the camera supposed to be surveying his precise place conveniently stopped working.

The guard waited for a minute, before the screen of his phone glowed blue once. Immediately, he unplugged his phone, closed the glass pane and made his way closer to the wall of the room and the camera. Just as it turned back on, the feed on the security room showed the guard pulling something small out of a ventilation vent.

He calmly made his way back to the entrance of the server room, closed the door then resumed his watch with the second guard. He would be likely suspected if anything of this was ever found out, but thankfully he would be fully out of harm's way once that would come. He was part of the "expendables". Agents sent to other countries to work their way up (sometimes for years) to useful stations, do one action then immediately be brought back to the homeland to work in internal national security.

By tomorrow morning, he would be in a plane going back home, to his family.

Officially, the guard came in the server room because he heard a noise. He searched the room, before finding out a screw from a ventilation vent had come loose, and was repeatedly hitting the fan bringing in fresh air into the room.

Unofficially, the hacker who he helped get access to the files changed the number of trucks to be sent to the Special Region from the nation they served from five, to eight.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**I have exams next week, so I'll be focusing more on those than on writing. Because of that, next chapter will probably be in two weeks.**

**Roblu321:** **Well that was the allied armies' plan but the fireballs and the dragon happened. **

**MadClawDragon:** **I'm not sure if that's a compliment or if it's sarcastic, but I'm going to take your comment as the former, hehe. Thank you! I'm trying to do my research right.**

**Guest01:** **The Flame Dragon isn't exactly a thinking being, but it's not stupid either. Think of it as an extremely crafty predator.**

**last admiral:**** The lack of ptsd from such a massacre (and not just one, multiple times) was one of the first things that struck me in the anime. I'll incorporate it, but I have to warn that I'm not a soldier, neither a psychologist. I can do my research, look up the symptoms and victim witnesses but I can't guarantee it'll be 100% true to reality.**

**Major Simi, HyperionATLAS, DownTownAlpha and everyone supporting me:** **Thank you! I'm repeating this each chapter, but those are what keeps me going!**

**See you next week!**


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21: **

Kurokawa Mari. A woman of great qualities and many talents. She was born to a Japanese mother and an American father who married in Japan, inheriting both her mother's black smooth hair and her father's blue eyes. And unfortunately, her father was a soldier both in mind and spirit. He had participated in most battlefields America had been in since the 2000s, and he wasn't unscathed because of it.

Her parents had divorced when she turned ten. Life with him was simply unbearable for her mother, who couldn't deal with his way of life and his behaviour at home. Mari had witnessed how her family was torn, but she didn't blame him. He simply was a product of his environment. It was that day that she swore she would do her best to help her mother, her father and anyone else who needed it.

In order to understand how to deal with it, she joined the US army as soon as she finished nurse school. She knew she would be confronted to the problem there, and maybe her choice had something to do with her father? She wasn't sure. Life was hard during her three years of service, but she learned what she wanted to. She witnessed what combat stress could do to men, and how they clung to her. To them, she was an angel. A blinding ray of kindness and motherly love in a period where they could die at any moment. An anchor of stability in a chaotic war where anyone wearing a different uniform could be a deadly threat. She spent most of her service in Pakistan, but it was more than enough to learn.

Once she finished her service, she went back to Japan to spread her teaching. The JSDF never having fought a war since WW2, she knew the doctors had way less experience. Granted, the JSDF had very little problems related to combat stress and PTSD, but that didn't stop her from teaching her fellow combat medics and doctors.

And ironically, along with a hundred or two soldiers who were either foreigners turned Japanese, or Japanese having served in foreign armies then back to the JSDF just like her, she was probably one of the most experienced members in the Special Region.

And how thankful she was she took the decision to get experience abroad.

The day they got to what was now called the "Special Region", they fought back an army. Then a Dragon. The soldiers witnessed thousands of men, beasts and other beings die to their bullets, and another couple thousands burned alive by a flying reptile the size of an airliner.

She did her best, but there was no way for a human mind to remain untouched upon such a sight. Even less when they had been the ones doing part of the killing. Since that day, about thirty soldiers had to be sent back to Japan, all deemed too mentally unstable to be reliable on the battlefield. In addition, a few suicide attempts were reported.

And that was without counting all the surviving soldiers of the medieval army that attacked them who had to be watched over. A good number of them had already been sent into a temporary POW camp, but a great number had to stay in medical care.

As a result, Mari and the entire medical corp of the Special Task Force were overworked, each forced to talk individually to a selected number of JSDF soldiers each day to make sure they weren't having PTSD symptoms during the day, and doing on night shifts to watch over the survivors.

She was in such a situation right now. Sat at a desk, she was fighting the urge to close her eyes while her fourth cup of coffee of the night did little to maintain the need to sleep at bay. However, another thought kept her awake.

The prisoners weren't only human. Those in medical care had been obviously disarmed and had a hand handcuffed to their bed, but a few of them clearly weren't human, and seemed strong enough to break the metal binds in seconds. She had a loaded gun at her belt just in case, and she couldn't drop her attention.

And just as she pinched her own arm to repel yet another sleep urge, screams shot her awake. She stood up from the chair, almost knocking to the ground the desk in front of her and ran further inside the tent. The other nurse helping her during this late shift was occupied with another JSDF soldier who had been too prideful to ask for help during the day, so Mari was on her own.

She reached the screaming man in a short time, and as her brain muddled by a lack of sleep finally woke up, she understood that he wasn't simply screaming, he was screaming _and _bleeding at the same time.

She closed the curtains around each bed to get some privacy, then did what she could to save his life.

The two guards outside the tent barged in, rifles at the ready, but Mari reassured them and one stayed as the other went back outside.

She opened the curtain a few minutes later, a stern expression on her face. Her patient had been a human kid, around eighteen years old. He managed to steal a scalpel somehow during the day and used it to commit suicide the same night. He was a member of one of the armies that attacked the JSDF a few days ago, a prisoner.

And unfortunately, she hadn't been able to save him. He used the scalped to open his neck, and the blood loss was too much for her to deal alone.

Sighing, she got outside of the tent. The fresh breeze was a welcome addition after the still atmosphere of the tent, and she went to fetch a body bag out of nearby truck. As she neared the entrance of the tent she was assigned to, someone waved to her. As the person got closer, Mari recognized Ayame, a fellow nurse who was supposed to take the next shift, holding a folder under her right arm. Mari took a look at her watch and saw with relief that indeed, she would finally be able to take a few hours of much needed sleep.

Ayame didn't ask any question about the body bag rolled in Mari's hands, merely nodding and helping Mari to get the boy's body inside.

They put the bag near two other similar bags, suicide among the medieval soldiers being pretty high.

"I'll take the shift a little earlier, go get some sleep, you need it!" whispered Ayame as she noticed the dark rings under Mari's eyes.

She answered with a tired smile, and just as she was about to leave, Ayame added one last thing.

"Oh, I forgot! Doctor Yumeka told me to give this to you." She said, giving the folder to Mari.

Mari grabbed it, wished Ayame good night and made her way towards her quarters.

Most of the JSDF soldiers still slept in tents as it had been merely a week since they came, but prefabricated buildings were popping all over the place for the first civilians that would come through the Gate tomorrow. Fortunately, General Hazama had listened to Doctor Yumeka, the highest-ranking medical officer of the base, and had allowed the medical staff to sleep in one of the buildings considering their overwork.

She quickly found her way to her room, and just as she lit the lamp near her bed she stopped herself. Her arms were caked with boy's blood. She couldn't go to sleep like that.

She quickly made her way the a nearby sink and washed it off. Once back to bed, she read the paper given to her out of curiosity.

It was a reassignment paper. Starting tomorrow, she would be assigned to third recon, led by second lieutenant Itami Youji. She was to get to know her teammates tomorrow, then the next day they would go explore the special region. A handwritten note was added, signed by Doctor Yumeka. It said that Youji, the leader of the team, showed no reaction to the battle that took place a week ago, just his usual goofy self. The doctor expressed her concerns and Mari was to watch over him, see if his behaviour wasn't hiding a distress that had to be treated.

Sighing once more, she closed the folder, put on some pajamas and turned off the light at the side of her bed. She fell asleep in a mere minute.

* * *

The next day, the first civilians came to the Special Region.

At first, they felt many emotions. The path through the dark void between the worlds was lit with lights placed at regular intervals all the way from Tokyo to the new world, but anything beyond their reach remained a mystery.

Many felt anxiousness or even fear, but even more felt a sense of wonder. They were discovering a new world! They felt like the Christopher Columbus', the Marco Polo's or even the Neil Armstrong's of the twenty-first century!

Anxiousness, wanting or even those unfortunate enough to have motion sickness in the busses that brought them to the other side soon felt interest when a bright light in the distance showed their destination. Interest soon turned into excitation when they came close enough to see the first snippets of blue sky.

And excitation soon turned into a sense of adventure like no other when finally, the first rays of an alien sun shined on their faces through the windows of the busses.

Biologists marveled at the nearby forest, thinking of all the new species they would find there.

Geologists looked at the distant mountains with interest, already discussing if the rock formations were any different from earth.

Anthropologists looked at the abandoned camps of the medieval armies in the distance, thinking of all the cultural discoveries they could make just by studying what was left behind.

Politicians and diplomats looked for the POW camp, they wanted to know if there was any political leader among the prisoners and how they could be appealed to.

But a common trait among all of them was that almost everyone had a smartphone or a camera in their hands, enthusiastically taking photos of the "new discovery" of the twenty-first century.

As the closest ally with Japan, the United States delegation was the first to go through the other side, followed by four trucks of various equipment. The next vehicles to cross between worlds were dark blue trucks, with white large "POLICE" signs written on them.

Indeed. If the JSDF was to protect from exterior threats and conduct recon missions, then it was the police's job to protect from interior threats.

And to protect the people from earth from themselves, it had been the Tokyo police that had been chosen. For now, two hundred policemen along with three armored trucks was what was sent to the Special Region. More would be sent as the settlement grew larger, but for now it would be enough.

"Taketa_-senpai, _look!" squirmed Kanamori in her seat, pointing at some kind of weird horned bird flying low. Gennosuke watched with interest at the alien form of life, amazed at the strange sight.

The bus they were in was soon directed into another direction, up to a group of prefabricated buildings separated from the rest by a metallic fence. The vehicles stopped and the police personnel slowly left the vehicles, darting their eyes all around. They couldn't see much yet, but there were many clues that this world wasn't like theirs.

"Alright! Eyes on me!"

Gennosuke turned to the source of the voice, to see one of the policemen on top of one of the trucks, raised above the other policemen. The symbols on his shoulders showed he was a superintendent. The chatter quickly died down and he showed a satisfied smile.

"Good. Well everyone, good morning! I'm Superintendent Junichi Katsuo, I will be in command of the whole police operations in this settlement. For now, you all have two hours to unpack your gear, get settled in your bunks, get lunch and report to your superiors! I know it's a bit early for lunch, but you'll have to get used to it, consider it like having jet lag! This may be a new world, but for us policemen, our task stays the same! Secure the town and make sure everything is in proper order! That will be all!"

Conversations rose as soon as the superintendent finished. For Gennosuke, Kanamori and all of the policemen, this was just like getting a reassignment to another prefecture or city.

Well, you still had to add all the fantasy stuff. Dragons, elves, orcs, magic and potions…

It was _almost _like getting a simple reassignment.

* * *

_A week later, Tube castle, border between Tube and the Empire._

« Push them back ! Push the ladders away from the walls!" Shouted Duran from atop the ramparts of Tube castle.

Shouting loudly, his men redoubled their efforts in repelling the Imperial auxiliary troops. Ladders were pushed away from the walls, sending tens of orcs, goblins and demi-humans to their demise below.

"Wyverns incoming!" Shouted a soldier, pointing up in the sky. Quickly approaching was a squadron of about twenty imperial wyvern riders. Elbian men braced for the assault, while Duran picked up a javelin from a body on the ground.

A leader doesn't lead from the back. To do so would not only show your men you were a coward, it would also be tarnishing one's pledge to Emroy. That was why Duran was currently fighting on top of the walls of Tube castle.

The wyverns swooped down, grabbing men in their claws and sending them down to the ground to their deaths, while their riders used their lances and throwing weapons with ruthless efficiency. Duran saw one of the riders leading his mount towards him, but the King was an accomplished warrior, and a great wielder of many weapons.

He cocked his arm back, and sent the javelin straight to the rider's right shoulder. The weight as well as the strength of the weapon sent the rider toppling to the ground, quickly killed by Elbian soldiers. The wyvern itself was surrounded by spearmen who thrust their weapons at the beast's weak spots. The wings were pierced all over, and dark blood was pouring out of an open wound near the eyes. The beast used its tail to sweep the men surrounding it, sending many of them down the walls and tried to take off, jumping away from the battlement, only to hilariously fall to the ground with its virtually non-functional wings.

Seeing as two other wyverns were killed with ballistae bolts, the wyvern riders took off the battlements before casualties piled up.

Seeing there was a short breathing room, Duran leaned against the wall's crenelations to assess the battle unfolding.

It had been two days since the Imperial showed up and sieged the castle. Fortunately, Kelimel's men who had gone back to the camp had managed to retrieve a good part of the equipment dropped during their flight from the Flame Dragon and arrived mere hours before the Imperial auxiliary troops showed up on the horizon.

They also came with good news! The Flame Dragon was dead! The men in green had turned the timeless beast into a barely recognizable carcass, and Kelimel had stayed to initiate contact with them. While he tried to get them to help against the Empire, Duran had to hold on the borders of Elbe. Out of the twenty-five thousand men he went with to Alnus, only fifteen thousand came back.

Duran had ordered ten thousand of these men to go reinforced the border east of the Dumas mountain range, west of the coast of the blue sea while he remained with five thousand men, in addition to the thousand men garrisoning the fort, to defend the valley between the Dumas and Tybe mountain ranges leading to Elbe. He could only hope that the troops of the League Principality would be able to repel the Empire too, for if they didn't the imperial army would have an open door to the almost undefended west of Elbe.

Thankfully, the forts and cities of the coast of the Blue Sea were part of an important trade hub with the imperial city of Proptor, that meant they had strong fortifications and the means to hire mercenaries and hold off the imperials for some time.

The battle was well underway, and things weren't as grim as Duran thought it would. An arms dealer came to Tube yesterday, selling in quantity and for cheap prices arms and armor which the Elbian soldiers desperately needed. Duran had noticed that most of what he sold were worn by the members of the allied armies a few days ago, but he didn't kick him out of the fortress. The arms dealer had also proposed some kind of new weapon, and Duran would be observing the effect of such weapon right now if the Imperials didn't launch an assault.

"Are you alright, my King?"

Duran turned his face to Count Watt, the ruler of Tube castle, who asked him the question. The count held a bloodied mace in his right hand, and his armor bore the signs of intense combat.

"More tired than wounded, Count. How's the battle on your side? I guess you repelled them?"

The Count answered with a nod.

"Pushed them back for now. It seems they're still trying something at the main gate, but they'll soon be pushed back."

Duran carefully stuck his head out of the battlements, looking in the direction of the main gate. There, a century of legionnaires was still using a battering ram, but now that most of the auxiliary troops were gone, the Elbian ranged might was raining death on them. Despite their tortoise formation, casualties were piling rapidly and they soon fled. Strangely, they had left a few wooden crates near the gate.

"What is he doing…" muttered Watt. Duran looked at what Watt was looking at, and the arms dealer from yesterday was… Preparing defences? He had parked two carts in front of the gate, each with a white cloth covering a shape Duran couldn't recognize. The arms dealer's men, completely dressed in black, soon took the white cloth away, revealing a strange machine. A brass cylinder from which six tubes came out, held on two wheels. On the side of the brass cylinder was some kind of handle.

And just as he pondered what was the arms dealer doing, an incredibly loud explosion rocked the entire fortress. Count Watt lost his balance and fell on the ground, while Duran held his hands on his ears. For a few seconds, the world was silent, until Duran realized he couldn't hear anything but a high-pitched note. His hearing gradually came back over the course of a few minutes, and he looked with confusion where the explosion came from.

The castle's main gate was no more. The explosion had turned the mighty protection into wooden and metallic bits. Even the stone construction around what was the gate before had badly suffered.

"The imperials! The imperials are attacking!"

Duran heard the shout and looked at the attacking imperial legionaries, but a few seconds was all he needed to know it was too late.

The imperials were running straight for the gate, while the disorganised defenders were trying to mount up a defence. The confusion grew even more when the wyvern riders attacked the ballistae on top of the walls, silencing pretty much the only effective ranged weapons the Elbians had against the imperial tortoise formation.

"KING DURAN!"

A loud voice caught his attention. The arms dealer was holding a cylindrical object in his hands which seemingly raised the volume of his voice.

"LET ME SHOW YOU THE GENIUS OF DR. GATLING!"

Upon making such a strange declaration, the arms dealer made a hand signal. His men started to crank the handle on the side of the two weapons facing the gate.

And the attacking imperials learned the hard way why 's Dr. Gatling's invention was so popular back on earth.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Should have posted that yesterday, but had to rewrite all the last part as I wasn't satisfied with it. **

**rmarcano321:** **virtue: their resilience. Weakness: their overconfidence.**

**BigBadAud666:** **Many governments do a lot of shady things, not only the americans.**

**DownTownAlpha:** **ngl, your comment actually made me laugh. Good ole' rickroll during a life or death situation...**

**Guest01: ****I'm still thinking about it, not sure yet how I want to approach the magic system in Falmart.**

**Major Simi, HyperionATLAS, MadClawDragon:**** Thanks a lot for the support!**

**Don't have anything important to say this week, so I'm just going to wish you liked what you read, and see you next week!**


	23. Chapter 22: Falmart in turmoil

**CHAPTER 22: FALMART IN TURMOIL**

« Turn to the left here. "

"Yes sir!" answered Kurata, obeying Itami's order.

The Toyota truck veered to the left, taking a dirt road which, according to the early recon by drone that had been done, led to a small lake. The lieutenant yawned, already bored to no end.

"Man, I'd wish they put an internet connection at the base already… I've missed the last two episodes of _Mei-com_…"

Kurata, who didn't expect his commanding officer to have such interests, was quick to reassure him.

"Don't worry sir! They're fillers! You're not missing much of the story!"

The lieutenant smiled in response.

"Just call me Itami, we don't need honorifics, do we? If they're fillers, then I guess you can tell me what happened!"

"I'd feel bad about spoiling you, but the new opening is bangers, I even learned it just before we left Tokyo! I can even sing it!"

Before six pair of ears that weren't otakus could be assaulted, Kuribayashi (who was already tired of her lieutenant after a single day) was quick to interrupt the two.

"Lieutenant! Can you tell us about the scientists in the Type 73 truck? Sasagawa told me he could barely reach his gunner position in the LAV because of all the crates of stuff they've brought!"

Itami sighed. He had finally found another otaku. Oh well, he would speak with Kurata later.

"Bunch of American and French scientists I believe. From what I've understood, they have to take samples to analyse, and they want to do the analysis on the spot because they fear that the samples would deteriorate or something. All the crates are the machines they need. We just bring them to the spot, and protect them while they do their stuff."

One of the team's riflemen, Tou, woke up from his daydreaming at the mention of science.

"What are they working on precisely? Do you know where they worked before lieutenant?"

Itami smiled uneasily, scratching the back of his head.

"That wasn't part of the mission report I got, but what makes you so interested?"

"Well, because that's what I want to do later! I joined the JSDF so I could fund my studies, but I want to join my brother in his marine wildlife work."

Now that Tou mentioned that, Itami did remember the rifleman spending a lot of his free time hunched over a complicated-looking book yesterday. So he was studying…

"I guess one of them mentioned sampling the local water. Maybe they want to check if it's drinkable? Would make it hell of a lot easier if we could draw our water from here instead of relying on Tokyo."

The rifleman took some time to think, before asking a question.

"Could you assign me to their guard, lieutenant? I'd like to see what they're doing."

"Sure, I guess…"

"Thank you, lieutenant!"

Satisfied, Tou got back in his seat and resumed his daydreaming of the alien world through the window. Itami looked ahead, looking for a landmark. The road they were on was bordering a forest and the lake was just a little bit deeper into the woods.

"All of you, eyes on the right! There should be a small path, we won't be able to drive our vehicles through so we'll have to grab the scientist's boxes and bring them to the lake."

There was some grumbling at the thought of having to do this chore, but the path was soon found and the engines stopped. Itami got out, stretched his limbs and observed the path. Just like the report said, it was way too small to drive a car through, much less the large military vehicles the recon team had.

"All right, Tou, Tomita, Kurata, Mari, Higashi and Kastumoto will come with me and the scientists to the pond, the rest of you stay with sergeant major Kuwahara at the vehicles!"

A bunch of "yes sir" was his answer, and Itami made his way to the back of the LAV where the crates were. As soon as the boxes were in safe hands, the seven soldiers and five scientists disappeared into the path.

"Alright! Sasagawa, get on the 50cal on the LAV and keep watch! Kuribayashi and Tozu, get on top of that hill over there, I'll stay with the vehicles!" Shouted Sergeant Kuwahara.

"Yes sir!" answered the three soldiers who quickly got to action.

Kuribayashi could only dream of having Sergeant Major Kuwahara as a lieutenant instead of Itami, but life was just like that. Sometimes life put a damn otaku with no muscles as your leader rather than a manly and prideful male.

Followed by Tozu, she made her way up the hill facing the path Itami took. Reaching the ridgeline took them a little less than ten minutes, offering them a good view of the plains bordering the forest. And a sight immediately made them duck back behind the ridge.

"Did… Did we just see the same thing?" Asked Tozu, uncertainty in his voice.

Kuribayashi didn't answer, she crawled up until only her head was sticking out and took a closer look.

An army. Between them was a few hundred meters of grassland and a large river, but a goddamn column of men was walking up the river

"How in the hell did we miss them?!"

"We were focused on the right side of the path, they're on the left. Plus, we would have to drive to a higher altitude to see them from the cars…" Answered Tozu who had joined her in the observation. Both had their binoculars out.

"Warn the sergeant!"

As Tozu picked up his radio, she took a closer look at the banners. She recognized one of them as one of the armies that surrounded them before the Dragon came, but didn't take part in the fighting. They had purple banners, with a purple eagle in a white diamond in the middle.

The men mostly wore mail and plate armor, and had a variety of weapons, although spear and poleaxes made up the majority of the armament. The horses had a harness with half representing the country's banner, the other half all had different symbols. Most likely their personal colors, she mused.

Soon enough, Sergeant Kuwahara came crawling, taking a position between the two riflemen.

"So that's the army, heh?"

As he focused, Tozu looked at him with worry in his eyes.

"Shouldn't we be more careful, sergeant?"

Kuwahara answered without even looking away from the army.

"There's a river and a good distance between us. Even if we were to be spotted, they wouldn't have an immediate way to cross the river before we left. And they likely don't have the range to hit us from their position. I warned the Lieutenant, they didn't even reach the lake and they're coming back right now."

Tozu wasn't convinced. After all, the Flame Dragon came literally out of nowhere. No one could have predicted its existence. Nevertheless, he gulped uneasily and kept watch around them in case someone was trying to sneak.

Kuwahara took a small red book and a pair of glasses from a breast pocket, put the glasses on and started to go through the pages.

"What's that, sir?" Asked Kuribayashi.

"A book with some intel and language about the world we're in, we got a few early copies made thanks to some willing prisoners. You troopers don't have one yet, officers got the priority. If I'm correct, the army in front of us should be from Elbe. Apparently lead by a King Duran."

The trio looked as the column walked forward, reaching what seemed to be an abandoned village. However, it was abandoned only in appearance. Suddenly, men started pouring out of the houses, charging at the unsuspecting soldiers from Elbe. At the same time, a war cry sounded from the back of the column, where the tree soldiers couldn't see.

And from the hill above the Elbian soldiers, a banner appeared, quickly followed by hundreds of soldiers who had been waiting silently in ambush and ran towards the panicking Elbians.

"And that…" Kuwahara flipped through the pages. "Would be the Empire's army. They're called the Saderan empire, I believe."

The three watched as the Empire's army put in motion a perfect strategy against the Elbians. The army from Elbe was way more numerous in total fighting strength, but lengthened over a large distance. The Empire used its surprise advantage to get a local number superiority and deal as much damage as possible.

"Shouldn't… Shouldn't we do something, sergeant?" Asked Tozu.

"Should we, private? Japan hasn't allied or anything. Not yet, at least. We don't know who are the good guys, the bad guys, or even if there's good and bad guys. No, we remain on the sidelines and leave as soon as the Lieutenant is back and the scientists safe."

The fighting went on, and slowly but surely the Elbian soldiers managed to organize, forming a frontline against the Empire's troops. Seeing that the number of enemy soldiers was starting to rise dangerously, the Imperial commanded made a wise move and ordered his men to retreat before any lasting damage could be dealt to his troops. A bugle horn sounded three times, and the legionnaires started to retreat in proper order.

However, it seemed that today wouldn't be a victorious day for the Imperials.

From the back of the column came a man on horse, dressed in a crimson armor. He was followed by horsemen, all protecting three carts each covered with a piece of cloth.

He raised an arm, ordering for his men to stop, then pointed at the retreating imperials. A few of the horsemen, seemingly unarmoured and unarmed, got in the three carts and lifted the cloth.

And what was underneath made even the stoic sergeant open his mouth wide.

Gatling guns.

They may not be americans, but anyone who joined any kind of armed corp had to have some kind of interest in firearms. And if there was one firearm that no one could be ignorant about, it was the Gatling Gun. Father of all the modern machine guns, and the weapon that revolutionized warfare just like the musket did in its time.

"How in the hell did they manage to…" started Tozu, before cranks were turned and the machines of death spewed lead at the retreating imperials. The orderly retreat soon turned into a panicked route, the Elbian soldiers cheering at such a sight.

In the few minutes it took the imperials to go back behind the hill they came from, their numbers had been halved, if not more.

With a thunderous war cry, the Elbian cavalry spurred their horses forward in pursuit.

Even Kuwahara wasn't so stoic anymore. Guns? In the special region? Who would have thought?

"Kuwahara, we're leaving."

Itami's voice startled Kuribayashi, who didn't expect the otaku lieutenant to sneak like that. She didn't even hear him come! He was lying with the three soldiers, his binoculars sported in the direction of the crimson-armored man.

"Lieutenant, have you…" Kuwahara's voice was cut by Itami, who had a serious tone in his voice the soldiers clearly didn't expect.

"I've seen enough. General Hazama needs to learn about this. The scientists didn't get their samples, but to hell with it. We're not safe here."

The three soldiers nodded, and followed their lieutenant back to the convoy of the third recon.

The three soldiers were assaulted with questions by the rest of third recon about what happened. What could turn their usually goofy and otaku lieutenant into a… Well, a lieutenant who acted like a lieutenant should?

When they heard the answer, they too turned gloomy.

* * *

"That's another ambush repelled my King! These… Gating?"

"Gatling." Corrected the arms dealer at Duran's side. He wore a traditional Elbian robe, but he wore as if he didn't understand what the meaning of the clothing was. It was blue in color, meaning he was a merchant, that was correct. But the rest didn't make any sense. The number and colors of bracelets at his wrists didn't denote his status, and the silver ring had no engraving or stone of any kind. Plus, his men wore simple black clothes, and had the strange black staves Duran had seen in the men in green's hands back at Alnus. He told his name was Gara, but it was most likely a fake name.

"These gatling guns, they sure are something!" Finished one of Duran's personal guards. Duran nodded, pleased with how things were going.

"How long until you can teach my men to use these weapons perfectly?" Asked Duran to the Gara, who observed how the few selected men to be taught were handing the weapons.

"At this rate, they will have full knowledge of the gun in about a week. All of these repeated battles are speeding up the process, I should say."

Duran took some time to think, before giving an answer.

"Good. I think we'll be able to eradicate all imperial presence in Elbe within a few days then. However, can't you really sell us more of these guns? Three over here, three sent to help the coast of Elbe against the imperials, they may be powerful but they're still vulnerable. In particular against wyvern riders."

The arms dealer showed an apologetic look, smiling weakly.

"I'm extremely sorry, King Duran. The nation I serve doesn't see it eye to eye with Japan, these six Gatlings were the only we could sneak in without their knowledge."

Duran simply nodded to the man. He had learned much within the few days that he spent with him. The Gate opened in a nation named Japan, and many of the other world's nation wanted to go to the other side. The arms dealer in particular didn't say from which nation he was, but he had made it clear enough he wasn't Japanese to begin with. He learned many other things about the other world too, but it was clear some things were intentionally left in the dark.

As the Elbian soldiers recovered from the Imperial ambush, Gara raised his voice once more.

"However, I could convince my superiors to sell you the blueprints for the weapon as well as the ammunition."

Duran looked at him with confusion.

"Blue-what?"

"Oh, I forgot. I mean, we could sell you the method to craft these weapons, as well as the ammunition."

The king didn't even hesitate.

"What would your price be?"

A short moment was spent in silence as Gara focused, but he ultimately raised his arms in defeat.

"I'm not a politician, King Duran. You've already sold your silence about our presence in Elbe as well as information about magic. I assume any higher price would be actual mages to learn from."

The King certainly couldn't sell his court wizard. The woman was too important on magic matters in the country, and she was also the teacher for all official Elbian wizards.

"What about the slaves, my King?"

Duran turned to the royal guard who just spoke, with a mildly confused expression.

"What do you mean, soldier?"

"My family's estate used demi-human as laborers last time I went to them. One of them knew magic."

Selling slaves? That could certainly be done. Slavery was less harsh in Elbe than in the empire, for the simple reason that Duran didn't want to bother with slave uprisings every few months. Also, by allowing the same degree of citizenship his human citizens had, he got a very thankful and loyal population of hard-working demi-humans. He still needed to separate human and demis populations, but over the course of the years, both slowly but surely came to accept each other.

Slavery was still a thing for the simple fact that it was very lucrative, but also more regulated. Slave owners in Elbe were obligated to see that their slaves were getting a minimum wage with which to buy freedom with eventually, as well as a place to sleep and a minimum of a meal per day.

"Like I said," continued Gara, "I'm no politician. I'm only a man of action. I can relay this proposal to my superiors, and you would have an answer within a few days."

"Perfect." Responded Duran.

He got off his horse, walking up to the carts which were getting covered with the cloth once more, and picked up a brass casing from the ground. The metallic surface was smooth, so much so that once he wiped it with a piece of cloth, he could see his reflection. Crafting such things would prove hard… Maybe by combining a smith with a mage? A magesmith? Only a few dwarves were rumoured to have those kinds of skills. Gara saw Duran observing the brass casing, and quickly understood the issue.

"Do not worry, King Duran. We also know how to craft paper bullets for the Gatlings. It is less effective than the metallic ones and requires more maintenance, but your craftsmen will surely be able to make them. And the guns will only require minimal modifications."

Once more, a problem solved. This Gara and his wares were a godsend for the King. All of that for some dusty books, a few slaves and his silence? He expected a catch somewhere, but the fact of the matter was that the people from the other side simply didn't know about magic.

Selling knowledge about magic, an art that was barely used outside of Rondel, against the means to craft a weapon which could single-handedly turn the tide of a battle? A weapon that could make the imperial overwhelming numbers meaningless? And even more so, a weapon that only needed a little more than a week of training?

He was all for it. He suspected Gara didn't say from which nation he came from because he feared the Japanese discovering the operation, but that would be discovered in time. Duran didn't give too much information either.

For now, his task was to drive out the Imperials from Elbe. And once that would be done, he would muster the surviving former imperial vassals and march on Sadera.

He watched with a satisfied grin his horsemen coming back after slaughtering the surviving imperials, then ordered his troops to march forward.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Alright, this was the last chapter in which Duran was "active". Next chapters will move on to other characters, and the war of the former vassals with the Empire will mostly become a "background thing". **

**Major simi: I thought I made it clear that the weapons weren't made by Falmartian hands. First of all it is the Empire who has the few guns the mercenaries brought back, and second of all, of course they wouldn't be able to make an perfectly working automatic weapon in less than a month.**

**archive4465: Who knows if they're american? One thing's for sure, they're not Japan's allies. Plus, Duran is smart enough to understand that having a few gatling guns won't make him able to take on the Japanese.**

**rmarcano321: ****There is no "main hero". More like a cast of characters I focus on which all have varying degrees of involvement with the main plot. I'm pretty sure I already answered to your second question at least once, can you stop copying and pasting these please? But just to be very clear with it: I don't have a frekkin idea how long it will be. I do have an "end goal" I want to reach with the plot, but I don't know yet if it'll take me five or twenty chapters to reach.**

**DownTownAlpha: **** "We took down some kind of crazed figher who kept demanding for our heads and claimed he was named Toyohisa. Turns out, bullets are faster than he can move."  
General Hazama, just after reading the report and facepalming. "Do these people have no sane mind?!"  
**

**BartGirl: **** is the inventor of the Gatling gun, which the most successful early automatic gunpowder weapon. The gun was sold worldwide.  
**

**Custo117:** **The mercenaries aren't out of the story. Velgard chose to help the Sisterhood of Clear Water which was coerced into healing the Emperor's troops, and Olva is still unconscious. She took a few bullets as well as a grenade exploding near her so yeah, still in intensive medical care.  
And I still have plans for both of them.**

**HyperionATLAS, MadClawDragon and everyone sending these kind comments:** **Thank you infinitely!**

**That will be all for now, so I hope you liked what you read, and see you next week!**


	24. Chapter 23: Cards being dealt

**CHAPTER 23: CARDS BEING DEALT  
**

« There, hold it tightly… »

She held it to the point at which her knuckles turned white. Her instructor, Yuna Kanamori, chuckled lightly.

"You don't have to hold it so tightly… Now, align the pistol so the front white dot is between the two white dots of the back."

She did as Yuna told, carefully aiming for the target in front of her.

"Now, you can put your finger on the trigger, but don't pull it yet. Just breathe, you have all the time in the world…"

She felt her breathe, syncing it with her instructor's. The breeze slightly ruffling the feathers on her head.

"Now, when you're ready, carefully pull the trigger."

The gun was heavy in her hands, and the stress at the idea of firing a gun for the first time made her arms tremble, but Kanamori's soothing voice and calm demeanor soon suppressed those. Finally, her hands remained in place, her aim was dead set on the middle of the target, and-

"Kanamori, what are you still doing here?!"

Startled by the sudden interruption, the shot went off and merely raised a small pile of dirt, missing the target completely.

"You knew we have an appointment with the superintendent today, we only have ten minutes left!"

"But I didn't want her first shot to be so quick! It's something important!"

The investigator, Gennosuke, watched the small body of Myuute Luna Sires, the young siren. She had dropped the gun, her bird-like legs were trembling and tears were swelling at her eyes, looking at him.

"Oh! Hum…" Quite embarrassed, he came in front of her and fidgeted for a while, until he put a hand to her shoulder. "I'm… sorry to have scared you, Myuute. Are you alright?"

She nodded, first slowly then with assurance.

"Yes, Mister Gennosuke! I am… alright now!"

He smiled.

"Good. Sorry to interrupt, but we have a very important meeting with my superior. You can come with us if you want, but you will have to stay outside the door."

She sniffled, wiped her tears and diligently went to give back the gun to the target range instructor. She joined Taketa and Yuna as they left the place.

The target range was shared by the JSDF soldiers and the policemen, but fortunately it was close to the police HQ. If they simple walked, they would reach it in time.

Taketa showed his police badge to the soldier guarding the entrance, and he let them out with a nod. Turning left, they walked on the side of the dirt road. Priority was put on building lodging, so concrete roads weren't done yet. The noise of the yellow construction machines was ever present in Alnus, as more and more people came to live there.

The settlement was mostly divided in three parts. The first one, and the biggest, was the camp of the JSDF soldiers. The second part was comprised of durable lodging for the various scientists and diplomats from other nations. The buildings were still barren and grey, but botanists and painters were hard at work to liven up the place. The last part of the settlement was where the refugees from the area came to live, their houses mostly made of wood. A large wall was in the building process around the JSDF and the civilian's areas, with wide empty spaces left for future buildings.

For now, it was only scientists and diplomats that came, each representing different nations. But as time passed, Taketa could easily imagine that more and more civilians would come there. For now, most of the base's inhabitants were the JSDF soldiers, along with two or three hundred civilians from earth, and about four hundred locals.

"I'm seeing more and more non-humans in the streets…" Mentioned Kanamori, looking at a human lady stepping out of a PX store. Inside, a person with cat ears waved her goodbye and went back behind the counter.

"Makes sense." Answered Gennosuke. "After the victory of the JSDF when they first came here, a lot of the fleeing soldiers turned to banditry. All the surrounding villages have either fled away from the region, or have come to live here. I even heard there's an elf village somewhere, but I don't know if they fled, and even then, it's only a rumor."

Myuute tapped on Kanamori's arm, cocking her head.

"Ruh-mor?"

"Oh, a rumor is something that people say, but that they don't know if is true."

"Thanks, Miss Kanamori!"

Myuute's speech still wasn't completely fluid, but she was making tremendous progress. She had been one of the first refugees to start living near the camp, now renamed "Camp Alnus" because of name the locals gave it. She had also been one of the first refugees to start to learn Japanese, and one of the first refugees to start actually working along the people from earth.

Finally arriving at the police HQ, Taketa showed his badge once again to enter. The policeman guarding the gate smiled, recognizing the siren following them. They made their way inside, up to the office with the "superintendent" plaque hung on the door.

Yuna pointed to a nearby seat. "You can wait for us here, Myuute.", before following Taketa inside.

Taketa was already saluting his superior, and Yuna quickly joined him. The superintendent was sat in his chair, the years visibly weighting on his body. Yet, the strength in his gaze maintained a youth that made up for his greying hair. His uniform was impeccably maintained.

"Inspector Gennosuke. Sergeant Kanamori. Sit down, please." He said, waving at the two chairs in front of his desk. On the desk, on a small plaque was written "Superintendent Junichi Katsuo". The office was quite barren, the only decoration consisting of a potted plant near the window, and a few photos hung up on the wall and one on the desk. If anything, it screamed the personality of the superintendent: "Spartan.". Barren, but quick and efficient when it came to work.

"So, how are you getting used to life at camp Alnus, inspector?"

"Quite well, superintendent Katsuo." Answered Taketa. "I had my reserves about the addition of the locals in our ranks, but the one joined to me and sergeant Kanamori has proved to be very cooperative and enthusiastic. Her special ability with her voice has helped a lot to catch thieves."

The older policeman took a sheet of paper front of him, studying it for a few seconds.

"Ah, yes, Myuute Luna Sires? The Harpy? Am I to believe that her voice has calming powers?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, superintendent. Though, "Harpy" is a word used by the locals to insult her race. She insisted that her race's name is "Siren"."

"Mmh. Very well then. Siren it is. Then, would you believe that operation Green Heart is a success?"

Taketa kept silent for a while, thinking about his answer.

"I wouldn't say it's a success, not yet superintendent. However, the inclusion of locals in our ranks has definitely improved our relations with them. I wouldn't know about the results for the JSDF or the refugee care division, but I'd assume they have similar results. It's too early to say if there's going to be negative influence on our presence here."

"Good, good. However, I didn't have you come over for this discussion. I assume you both read the news yesterday?"

Taketa's and Yuna's expression instantly darkened.

Gatlings. Somehow, Gatling guns had found their way in the special region. And they were way too close in resemblance to those made on earth back in the day, so there was no doubt from which world they came. Yesterday, all the major newspapers all over the world received photos from anonymous senders showing a battle unfolding between the Empire and Elbe. Despite being more numerous, the Empire's army had lost badly because of the weapons used by the Elbians.

And of course, the JSDF soldiers being the ones guarding the Gate, and considering the extensive check on everything that was sent to the special region, suspicion immediately fell on the Japanese government brewing some kind of unrest. Since then, international relations had considerably cooled between the country of the rising sun and the rest of the world.

Another fact which didn't help was that the media was constantly starved for any snippet of information about the special region. A regular report was released to the public each week, so the existence of the known nations to the JSDF was also known to the rest of the world. Because of that bottleneck on information, such a major reveal had given birth to one of the largest mediatic explosions since 9/11.

Since then, stern warnings had been sent by a few earth leaders to the Japanese government, ranging from a simple warning to a commercial blockade. Fortunately, a good part of them stayed suspicious, taking a precautious stance which would allow them to both accuse or stay friends with the Japanese depending on the government's reaction.

"Judging from your faces, I assume you did. Now, here's the reason why I asked you to come here. We know for a fact that it wasn't us that sent these guns. So, it was someone else who somehow managed to bypass the checks to go through the Gate. And here's the problem. Each delegation sent by each country lives in what can be considered an embassy. That means we can't just barge in and search for the culprit. We would have to go through extensive paperwork that would give plenty of time to destroy any clues…"

The superintendent cleared his throat, before continuing.

"Thankfully, General Hazama was in the know before all of it appeared on social media. He forwarded me a folder containing all the relevant information, I made a copy for both of you. We also have a guest that will help you for this affair. He's from internal security, he should arrive today evening in Alnus camp, at 7PM. You're to welcome him, show him to the police barracks for a room then you're to start working with him on the matter. The fastest you deal with this matter, the better it is. Remember, it's our nation's honor that's been tarnished. You'll be the one to restore it. "

Taketa stood stunned for a while. Such a big responsibility was quite the load to take and Yuna was the one who voiced his worries.

"If I may, superintendent, shouldn't there be a whole team looking into that? Is it only the two of us? Three, with the security bureau member?"

Katsuo moved a pen that was slightly not straight on his desk, before answering.

"Quite a team was formed to gather the information you'll find in the folder, sergeant. You're only the "hand" to find out the final piece of the puzzle. That hand consisting of four fingers, with your local Siren recruit. We're on a tight watch. Our cybersecurity division back in Tokyo, in conjunction with the JSDF, informed me that they stopped quite a few hacking attempts of the network of the base. We also have to consider that the enemy probably has eyes and ears inside Alnus camp. This conversation never happened. The security bureau member will be mixed with a group of policemen coming as reinforcements, he will recognize you. Officially, you came to my office to receive a promotion. Chief inspector Gennosuke, Inspector Kanamori, please accept your new ranks." He said smiling, pulling out two insignias from a drawer.

The pair grabbed the new insignias, more surprised than anything. They definitely didn't expect a raise when they came here. And they expected even less receiving such a mission.

"Alright." Continued Katsuo. "You both have things to do, and this conversation can't keep for too long. I hope you'll come back to me with good news."

The newly promoted policemen bowed to their superior, before leaving. They indeed had a lot of things to prepare today. Namely, reading the information folder, and understanding the how and why of the affair.

* * *

Later that day, the two police officers and the Siren were sitting on a bench, in front of the parking lot of the police HQ. Their legs were sore as they had patrolled the part of the city where locals lived, and cars were still forbidden there. As they waited for the agent, they were reading the report while Myuute was practicing her pronunciation quietly.

… _teams went to a former battlefield between the Empire and Elbe. Came back with remains of what seems to be paper cartridges. A local "mage", Kato el Altestan and his apprentice Lelei La Lelena, have confirmed that magic was used in the making of the cartridges. _

_Locals have confirmed that "magic" is rare to see outside of a city called Rondel, therefore the most probable source of these ammunitions is the Elbian capital, Kassilbe. Locals have confirmed that the court wizard resides there, and is the only one to officially teach magic in the kingdom, outside of a few elements like Kato._

_Locals have also confirmed that some non-human elements can use magic from birth, but are rare._

_Report delivered to General Hazama of the Alnus corp, forwarded to Superintedent Katsuo of the Alnus police force._

Yuna sighed, and closed the folder.

"So that's why the Superintendent asked us to bring Myuute…"

The Siren's ears perked up at her name.

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Continued Taketa. "You have the ability to use and sense magic, right?"

She nodded positively.

"Good then. We have a mission which will most likely have us go outside of Alnus Town, and your talents will be useful."

Her face darkened at the thought of leaving Alnus, and both policemen could only sympathize with her. Her village had been raided even before the Gate opened, leaving her alone at the mercy of the bandits. She had been forced to help them with her magic, before getting rescued by Second Lieutenant Itami Youji during another village raid.

She spent about four months with that bandit troupe, who thankfully left her mostly unscathed as her powers were too good to pass up on. But it was four months of forced killing, raiding and even hunting the surviving members of her original village to sell for slavery, or for the bandit's "comfort". It had been four traumatizing months, and the people of Alnus were the ones who gave her back hope. They even gave her work.

At least, that's what the report said when Taketa first met the young Siren. From that, it was understandable she didn't want to leave the safety of the "otherworlders".

"Don't worry, Myuute. We'll be there with you!" Said Yuna, hoping to cheer her up. A weak smile formed on the Siren's lips, and she strengthened her expression.

Soon after, a police bus came to the parking lot of the HQ. A good number of policemen stepped out, waiting near the luggage compartment to retrieve their stuff. While this happened, both Taketa and Yuna observed the faces of the newcomers, while Myuute was a little confused. After all, no one told her of what was to happen.

Once his baggage was retrieved, one of them turned away from his comrades and made his way towards them. He was on the skinny side, with smooth short hair and a thin pair of glasses.

Once he came close enough, he lightly bowed to the two.

"Agent Niseki, you don't need to know more. You both are inspector Yuna Kanamori and chief inspector Taketa Gennosuke, right? Wait for me at the canteen in ten minutes, then we'll begin."

And before the duo could react, he was gone to the barracks.

"Not very polite…" Commented Yuna.

"I'm not sure I like him, but let's go. Not like we can choose who to work with." Added Gennosuke.

"Who is he?" Asked Myuute.

Lowering his voice, Taketa whispered.

"Internal security bureau. Basically, he is a spy. Someone who's work is to spot people who want to harm us in our country, Japan, and… deal with them. You're free to go, we have an important discussion with him."

She pouted, before storming off at a quick pace. Taketa stayed unmoving for a moment, not sure what he said wrong.

"She's not a child, Taketa_-senpai. _" Yuna began with a grin. She knew he hated being called senpai. "And you're treating her like one. Sending her away when the "grown-ups" need to talk. We're supposed to be work partners."

"I wasn't…" He groaned. "Bah, let's just go…"

To his defense, the Siren, despite being an adult considering her race's longevity, did look like a human teenager.

The agent joined them in the canteen soon after. He still had a police uniform and took the time to get a coffee before sitting at the same table. The canteen was mostly empty at this time of the day, the officers either on patrol duty or dealing with something else.

"Did you both read the report?"

Ignoring his lack of greeting, Taketa answered positively.

"Good. Now, let me explain what you're going to do. Tomorrow, you're both going to leave Alnus dressed as locals to the Elbian capital, Kassilbe, along with a special force team. There, it will be your mission to investigate where the ammunition is being produced. Based on what was found, we know these cartridges use a mix of black powder and some kind of unidentified catalyst. Look for carts transporting huge amounts of charcoal, sulfur and salpeter. Once you've identified the right place, use this." He told, sliding an earpiece with a short microphone attached. "It will put you into contact with the special force team. Tell them what place to hit. After that, your job will be to reunite with them, then back to Alnus."

While Taketa nodded, Yuna asked a question.

"What about the language? We had lessons in low imperial which is the language spoken in the Empire and its vassals, but we are far from fluent."

The agent finished his coffee cup, then faced her.

"That's where your local "coworker" comes into play. We know from good sources that Elbe is country far more accepting of non-humans. You still won't be able to enter any high-class district with her, but at least they will let you in the city proper without asking questions. You've worked with her to build up trust. Use her to blend in. You'll get a map of the city we obtained thanks to a local trader. Do you have any other question?"

"Why us?" Asked Taketa. "Why policemen? Wouldn't the special force team alone be enough to investigate?"

For the first time since they met the man, Niseki dropped his icy gaze and sighed.

"Politics. The Gatlings not only messed Japanese relations with the rest of the world, but also amidst the government. Comissioner General Ginta doesn't trust the ministry of defense. He insisted member of the Alnus Police Force to be sent along during the operation. In addition, there are rumors that not only the Elbians got some modern weapons. "

If the supreme commander of all the Japanese Police didn't trust the JSDF commanders, it showed how strong of an impact that revelation had caused. And it also showed how pressing the matter was. The longer the issue lingered, the more the UN would pressure the Japanese government into giving up the rights to the Gate, and the more splintered the Japanese government would be.

"Any other questions?"

At the lack of answer, he nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Now, go get that, hum, "Siren" back. Meeting with the special force team is at 7AM tomorrow, in front of the tavern in the local's part of Alnus Town. You'll be given appropriate clothing to change to this evening. And with that, I wish you good luck, Chief inspector and inspector. You have an important task. Don't mess it up."

He shaked hands with the two policemen, then left at a brisk pace, no doubt busy with some other important task.

"Just what did we get ourselves into…" muttered Yuna.

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Another "slow" chapter, but I felt like explain what is happening around the Gate, and what the consequences are.**

**I think I'll slow down the rhythm of the uploads, at least until january. Uni is taking a lot of my time, and I need to focus on it. That doesn't mean I won't post any updates.**

**archive4465:**** Well, Japan certainly isn't the only player in this story.**

**Danen5:** **I think I made it clear enough that the Gatlings weren't produced by the Falmartians, and who they were sold to.**

**Guest01:** **Gara is someone sent by someone from Earth in order to sell the Gatling guns. I could tell more, but I'd rather keep the surprise.**

**BrokenLifeCycle:**** Gara just sold Duran the blueprints, never told him he'd be able to craft them or not. He's a cunning fellow.**

**the survier and the fighter:**** Olva still has a role in the story, not disclosed yet.**

**With that, I hope you liked what you read! See you next week!**


	25. Chapter 24 :The Jewel of Glass Peninsula

In front of the local's tavern of Alnus Town, Yuna, Myuute and the special force team were waiting for the last member of the group. They had to dress incognito, and the clothes they were given to do so were alright, but not for everyone. Yuna got a light green dress under a white tunic, with a white hood tightly holding her hair together and leather travelling boots, while the special force team had a variety of clothes as well as light steel armor.

However, Taketa wasn't as lucky.

As soon as he stepped out of the tavern, all dressed up, she exploded in laughter, a few members of the special force team puffed and hid their mouths with their hands while Myuute looked at them with confusion. The chief inspector raised his arms, cringing at the clothes he wore.

It turned out; clothes had a really important meaning in Elbian society. And as he had to pass as a travelling merchant, he had to wear travelling merchant's clothes. Tight red pants with leather boots adorned with red strands, a tight yellow jacket with brass buttons and green sleeves and a tall green hat.

He, indeed, looked like he was wearing a cheap Robin Hood costume. The only lacking part was the undersized plastic bow.

"Hugh…" He groaned, and let his arms fall along his body. "Look… Can we… Can we just go now?"

Yuna managed to repress her laughter after a while and hopped in the Toyota Humvee waiting for them. While her superior and the special force team put their bags in the back, she sneakily took a few pictures with her phone.

Blackmail material would always prove useful.

The trip to Kassilbe spanned over several days, and was pretty uneventful.

The first day was spent in the Humvee, which brought them from Alnus up to the Elbian border. With the help of advanced recon and a few drones sent ahead, all the villages on the road were avoided and both Imperial and Elbian troop movements too far to care about.

As they would have to work closely soon, both the police and the special force team got to know each other during this trip. Their real names were kept secret, but they presented themselves as Archer, the team leader, Bow, String, Arrow, Feather and Arrowhead, with the team name being Bowman.

Everyone, including Myuute, was baffled at the lack of imagination of whoever chose the names for the operation.

As Myuute was told they were the elite of the JSDF, she expected them to be grizzled, old war veterans covered in scars. Instead, she found out they were relatively… Normal. They made jokes, were curious about her and the world of Falmart, prepared their own food and even shared it. The only moment she got to see their serious side was when they spotted what they thought was an ambush.

As soon as bushes on the side of the road rustled unnaturally, their eyes turned cold and scanned their surroundings, their hands gripped their guns with an ease only extensive training could give and they turned as silent as a tomb, communicating only with odd hand movements.

Thankfully, the "ambush" was soon discovered and a scared pack of deer left the cover of the bushes and ran away.

After a day of travel, they left the Humvee to a squad of JSDF soldiers waiting for them near the Elbian border, trading it for a horse-drawn cart. Ironically, Myuute was the only one who somewhat knew how to drive such a cart; however, the Japanese quickly got the hang of it.

With Taketa as the merchant, Yuna as his sister, Myuute as his guide and Bowman armed with weapons took from the remains of the allied army's camps as his bodyguard, they passed effortlessly the Elbian border.

The guards only checked the crates of "merchandise" of tools, clothes and travelling supplies, leaving the guns and modern gear untouched in the double-bottom of the cart.

From then on, they followed the road from the border up to Kassilbe, the Elbian capital. By switching drivers each few hours and horses at each post relays, they managed to turn an almost two-week long trip into a single week.

With their back demolished by the uncomfortable trip and their minds muddled by the lack of proper sleep, it was with relief that they stopped for a night at an inn merely two hours away from the capital.

Even the hardened Bowman members smiled at the prospect of a proper bed.

It was the next day that the work began in earnest.

In the morning, with everyone having put on their full disguises, they made their way towards Kassilbe. Soon after leaving the inn, they passed the ridgeline of a hill and witnessed the Elbian Capital in its grandeur.

A swift ocean gale forced Taketa to close his eyes, and view that awaited him was one of wonder. The air smelled salty, while seagull-like creatures flew above them. The city was surrounded in its entirety by a great whitewashed wall, the roofs made of brown and orange tiles protecting the occupants inside. From his position, Taketa could see soldiers from watching from the walls, with huge ballistae placed at regular intervals, and catapults on top of the towers. Clearly, the capital was ready to repel any army.

Not a modern army though.

As the one who had travelled the less, Myuute was completely shocked. All she had ever lived in was either her natal village, a small bandit camp for a short period, or Alnus. But none could compete in size with Kassilbe, the Elbian capital. She had even dropped the reigns of the horses which Yuna had to pick up.

The outer wall protected the larger part of the city, most likely where the common folk lived. The houses followed the style of white walls with tile roofs, but some districts had their own architectural style, maybe where a concentration of people other than humans lived?

A second wall protected a smaller, but visibly wealthier district. The buildings were taller, larger, or had the distinct features of temples dedicated to gods of Falmart. And finally, a third wall protected a huge castle in the middle of the city. Most likely where the King of Elbe, Duran Mir Adalgund, lived and lead the country from.

Finally, tens of boats could be seen leaving and entering the port of the city, no doubt bringing a great amount of trade to its citizens.

Taketa remained silent for a while, awed. While it wasn't as impressive as the spires of Tokyo or as beautiful as the wonders of nature, Kassilbe gave off a feeling of absolute stability, protection and wealthiness that modern cities didn't display anymore. Not in the same way, at least.

As they approached the city gates with the cart, they bypassed fields upon fields of golden wheat and grazing cattle, including a few animals he didn't recognize, farmhouses and peasants who spared them a few glances. They joined the queue of carts waiting to enter the city, and thankfully the wait wasn't long. Just as the border guard, they didn't check the cart in its entirety and let them inside.

The streets were bustling with humans and less numerous demi-humans who told Myuute the way to the best inn in Kassilbe as the people of Alnus told them, and while she led the cart, the Japanese darted their eyes around with large opened eyes.

The sights were one they could only think of seeing in movies, books and video games, and while Alnus already had a pretty diverse population, seeing a few hundred refugees coping with what they had and seeing a rich town filled with both human and demi-humans working together wasn't the same thing.

The streets were paved, a proof of wealth in such an age, and bustling with people. Merchants in carts riding to the various markets they passed, the markets themselves filled with foods they couldn't recognize and a few items they couldn't discern the purpose of.

Common citizen chatting to each other while walking to unknown destinations, muscular demi-humans using their strength to carry crates around, even a few flying demis flapping their wings above. They could fly contrarily to Yuna, but their body were definitely more bird than human. In fact, they looked like birds who could stand on their two hind legs.

Soldiers also patrolled the streets not very regularly. But as a cop, Taketa knew what they were doing. Because they couldn't watch every corner of the city, much like their modern counterparts, they instead made irregular patrols, at different places and different times of the day. This played a part in preventing crime thanks to the fact that a guard could show up at any moment, at any time. They could also not show up despite a crime happening hours ago if it wasn't reported, but such was the risk of such a strategy.

Soon, they arrived at the inn, one which was specialized on housing merchants and their wares. As they stopped the cart near the entrance, a woman stepped out with a young boy behind her. She looked like a young adult, wore a blue dress and a tight white hood on her head. She bowed, raising the sides of her dress with her hands and addressed Taketa.

"Master merchant! I am Agate Lu Yseult, daughter to the owner of the Sun Wheel inn! Should I arrange rooms for you and followers?"

Taketa cleared his throat before answering.

"Yes, please. Prepare three rooms. One for me, one for my sister and for my guide, one for my guards."

His speech had gotten much better thanks to his practice with Myuute during the trip, and while it wasn't completely fluid it was good enough for the young woman to understand. She signalled with her hand to the boy behind her, who ran up the cart and sat beside Taketa. He extended his hand and waited there for a moment, before looking at the chief inspector with an interrogative stare.

Was Taketa supposed to give him the reigns to the cart? He handed him the reigns with apprehension, and looked as the boy drove the cart through the gates of the inn to an inner courtyard, then into a stable judging from the other horses already resting there. As the boy freed the horses and led them to individual boxes, Taketa followed the woman out of the stable to another building. As they entered, Agate raised her voice.

"Father! I have guests who wish to rest at the inn!"

From behind a counter, loud snores suddenly stopped and a man raised from the chair he had been sleeping on. The moment his eyes stopped on the guests, they lit up.

"Ah! Master merchant! I am Valère Lu Yseult, proud owner of the Sun Wheel inn! I understand you wish to rest in my establishment! How should I call you, dear guest?"

Pointing at his face, Taketa answered.

"I'm Isato Del Haroyo. As you can tell by my name and face, I am not from around here. Your daughter told us you have rooms for me, my sister and my guards…"

Valère opened a book, checking the entries.

"Hmmm… Yes, yes, we have enough rooms. How long will you stay?"

"Two days. As an addition, I would like to ask a private room for… Well, for work."

The inn owner winked, smiling.

"Of course! I'm used to work with merchants as I was one myself, and I know that information is as valuable as actual currency in our business! Speaking of it, maybe I could offer you some advice? I know quite a lot of merchants here in Kassilbe!"

Taketa lowered his voice and looked around before answering.

"I'm looking to buy alchemical ingredients; I was told a certain Elyzee Del Fortesque deals in those in Kassilbe. Maybe you could tell me where to meet her, and how to… Swing her mood my way?" He said, showing the unmistakable glint of silver between his fingers.

Valère's eyes shined at the sight of the silver coins, and he smiled.

"Of course, I know her! You will find her shop near the port, just right of the harbour master's office. As to her liking… I was told she collects exotic knives from all around the world. If you were to present her a well-crafted blade of foreign origin, I assure you she would be more disposed towards you, sir Haroyo! Although, I also heard she's quite the connoisseur, she won't be fooled by something bought in Kassilbe…"

Taketa put the coins in Valère's hand, then a few denari to cover the costs of housing both everyone and the cart.

"Thank you, kind sir!" beamed the inn owner with a smile. "My wife Emelie will show you your rooms, until next time, I wish you a good stay!"

* * *

An hour later, both policemen and Myuute had left the inn to find the alchemy shop they were looking for, and quickly found it. It was quite known in the city, and direction was easy to get.

The shop itself boasted a glass front made from one piece, quite a costly thing which according to Myuute could only be crafted with the help of magic. The building in itself was whitewashed like the others surrounding it, but it had a gothic look, with a stone gargoyle made of white marble above the entrance.

Being just near the harbour, the street was quite packed and an incessant stream of people going both ways made it hard to stop even for a short time, so they entered through the front door.

The first thing that struck them was the smell. The scent of herbs and spices overpowered their nostrils in an instant, making their eyes water and forcing them to cover their nose. Myuute in particular, as her sense of smell was stronger.

The shop in itself wasn't that large. A wide counter spanning the entirety of the room blocked the access to the back, and the walls behind it were covered in shelves on which laid a wide variety of items. Bundle of herbs, roots, rocks, empty vials, crystals, jars in which strange organs and insects stayed in suspension in a green liquid and much more, creating a colourful canvas of colours and textures.

Some of the items suspiciously looked like human or human-like organs, but Taketa and Yuna preferred to ignore those. Spotting a small bell on the counter, Yuna rang it and waited.

Soon, hasty footsteps sounded from the back, and a small figure came out. She, and it was a she as her breasts were quite substantial, had fiery red hair, a leather apron stained in various colours and a an almost cute, plump face. Despite her size, he got the confirmation that she wasn't a simple human child when she spoke. Emelie Lu Yseult, the wife of the inn owner had told them that Elyzee was a dwarf, but seeing it in person was… Something else.

"Your clothes… You're travelling merchants, right? I'm Elyzee Del Fortesque, and this is "The Secret Ingredient". What can I do for you?"

Myuute deeply bowed to the shop owner and cleared her throat. She had a role to play, and she knew what had to be said.

"Miss Fortesque! May I present to you master Isato Del Haroyo and his sister mistress Garii Del Haroyo. Master is a travelling merchant, and he heard good about you! He wishes to trade with you. But first, Master wishes to present you a blade from his homeland, as a token of friendship."

The disguised inspector smiled, and presented to her a case he had been carrying under his arms all along.

"Miss Fortesque, here's a present from my country, a ceremonial blade used by skilled warriors; I hope you appreciate it…"

While Elyzee worked on opening the case with the small key Taketa handed her, she nodded towards Myuute.

"And you? You haven't presented yourself yet…"

The siren simply smiled.

"I'm not someone important. Master Isato and Mistress Garii are from afar. They're not familiar with the layout of the land. Master first hired me to teach him the language, as well as a guide."

"I see… And what-"

Elyzee's question was suddenly cut as she finally opened the case and saw its content. Stars in her eyes, she carefully took the blade and raised it closer to her eyes. In her hands was a Khukri, with a black wooden handle adorned with silver and gold strands, a polished curved blade, engraved with depictions of tigers stalking in a jungle.

It was a thing of beauty. Taketa didn't even know where it came from, he just knew it was one of the many items that had been given to him should there be a need to "impress" someone in order to obtain information. The choice of such a weapon over a Japanese blade was obvious as they had to stay incognito.

The shop owner got back from her trance, a smile now on her lips.

"A beautiful object, Sir Hisato! Please, sit down, and we'll talk business." She said enthusiastically, pointing at an alcove near the door with a round table and a few chairs in it. She left the room, then quickly came with a jug in hand, and four cups balanced in the other.

"Will you not be joining us, Miss Garii?" She asked Yuna, who was observing the items on the shelves. Playing her role of "apprentice merchant sister", she simply smiled.

"No, thank you. I find ingredients… Interesting. I wish to observe them, if you don't mind."

The show owner nodded politely, before joining Taketa and Myuute at the table. She put a cup in front of everyone, then poured a blue liquid in the cups. The policeman recognized Jazbay wine, a drink greatly appreciated in this region of Falmart.

"_Santay!_" Said Elyzee, raising her cup and taking a sip. Taketa raised his cup as well, before bringing the cup to his lips. It had the taste of red wine, but sweeter and less bitter. This one in particular greatly outclassed what was served in Alnus' tavern. Good, that meant that Elyzee was serious about the trade deal Taketa supposedly came with.

"So, what region do you come from? That style of blade you gifted me is sometimes seen in Warrior Bunny hands, far to the east. If you didn't speak Saderan before, are you from even further?"

So, these "warrior bunnies" used Khukris as well? It was an interesting thought. Along with the fact that this "Saderan Empire" awfully resembled ancient Rome in its style, and the fact that one of the armies that attacked the JSDF force shouted in ancient Japanese and wore, albeit modified, suits of armor seen in ancient Japanese art, Taketa had the impression it wasn't the first time a Gate opened from Earth to this world.

"Yes." He answered. "We travelled for many weeks until we reached the eastern borders of the Saderan empire… We come from a long line of merchants, but we were bored of always staying in one place. When my younger brother was old enough to take care of the family business, I decided with my sister to move. We were curious about Falmart, you know? Apart from the testimonies of a few renowned travellers, there is almost no documentation where I come from… Speaking of which, are our clothes good? I understood it's almost mandatory to wear clothes according to your work."

Elyzee glanced at both him and Yuna.

"It's good. At least, you got the colors right. Yellow represents wealth. Green represents trade. And red represents blood, or fighting in general. But tell me more about your lands, I'm rather curious. You see, I'm a dwarf. And if dwarves are good for one thing, it's trade, and exploring. And I like to know who my clients are…"

While Taketa recited the whole story about his "homeland" he had prepared, backed by Myuute, Yuna didn't stay idle. As soon as Elyzee's gaze was fixated on the chief inspector, she got to work. Usually, successful stores like this one have a ledger where they write down every sale and money expenditure. And if the female dwarf was as thorough as she claimed, she would also write down the name of the person on the other side of the transaction. Asking for anymore was just wishful thinking.

Playing her part as an innocent young woman, she feigned interest in the various ingredients on the shelves while checking the room for her target, and she soon found it. A thick book with an ink well and a quill resting on top laid on one end of the counter, adapted to the dwarf's height. Now, she had to find a way to open it undetected.

She lightly coughed, and Taketa who understood the message spilled his drink on the floor "by mistake". The show owner, enticed by his gift, his story and the potential big sale he had been teasing her with was quick to take out a piece of cloth and start to wipe while he apologized profusely.

Using the distraction, Yuna quietly opened the ledger and flipped the pages until she reached the last entries. There, using a microscopic camera, she shot the last three pages just for safety and quickly closed the book before Elyzee noticed something.

She got into a coughing fit, while Taketa feigned worry for her. He got up and put a hand on her back.

"Are you alright, sister?"

She didn't answer, but stopped coughing and intently breathed loudly, as if she was in pain.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Fortesque, it seems my sister's illness has caught up to her. I'm afraid I'll have to walk her to our inn, I'll come back later today to finish up our deal. Will that be alright with you?"

The dwarven shop owner merely smiled.

"But of course! I wish good health to your sister…" She said, walking up to the door and opening it for them. "And my door will be always open to you, master Hisato!"

Taketa apologized once more, before passing the door followed by Myuute and joining the stream of passers-by.

Once they passed the corner of the street, both immediately went back to a normal position and walked with haste towards the Sun Wheel inn.

"Do you have the information?" He asked.

"Yes." Yuna answered. "I took the pictures; we should receive an answer from Alnus within an hour. Once we get a name, and perhaps a location, it'll be easier to find our target."

"Good." He smirked. "The faster all of this is done with, the better it'll be."

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Woooooooo! Passed 200 comments! Feels pretty good!**

**I did say last time that I would update at least a little bit, but well... Exams didn't leave me with a lot of time.**

**No action during this chapter, you need quite a bit of everything to write a story after all. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.**

**rmarcano321:**** Do you mean the pacing of the story? Everyone has different ideas about the pacing of a story, so you answer me that.**

**Kyleliberty:** **I checked all my comments, and I'm pretty sure you never commented before, unless you did it as a "guest" account. Thanks anyway!**

**BigBagAud666:**** Maybe you could give your reasons as to why you think so?**

**Guest01:**** Kato is at Alnus Hill, working with the different scientific teams sent by the many earth governments, while Lelei is travelling with Itami. At this point in time, they're heading to Italica to sell the scales just like in the anime. I let Itami and co "in the background" of my story, they're not the main focus. And the Siren, well, you know what's happening with her now!**

**Thanks everyone for the kind comments! I'm currently unable to go back to the weekly schedule I had before, but I should be able to by the end of the year.**

**See you next time!**


	26. Chapter 25: Brewing trouble

_At the same time, in front of Alnus Town._

The nineteen-years old daughter of the Emperor, Pina Co Lada, spurred her horse forward. In front of her was Alnus Town, the place occupied by the Men in Green. The hustle and bustle of intense activity reached her ears while she took in the sight, amazed. The otherworlders were installed on Alnus since less than two month, but a whole city was seemingly already built, and ever expanding. A large part of the city was comprised of the very common architectural style of the region, but behind it was a smaller part built from rock, steel and glass, while the third part of the town, surely the lord's castle, was hidden behind a large star-shaped wall.

"Do you think they're going to be hostile, princess?" Asked Bozes Co Palesti.

"They shouldn't be." Answered the Princess. "And even then, there's only thirty of us, while there's a full base of them. If they have a functioning brain, they'll rather capture and ransom us. My father also made sure to avoid any engagement with them. Unless they allied with the traitorous vassals, and we haven't seen proof of that, we're going to be fine."

She spat the word "vassal" with content, showing her distaste of the treason the Empire was a victim of.

The majority of the Rose knights stayed back at Italica in order to appear less threatening to the Men in Green. Or, the "Japanese", as the Emperor's informants said they called themselves. Pina had received a letter from him while she was in Telta, protecting the city's lord and a senator while they negotiated a trade agreement.

When she read the content, Pina was immediately ecstatic. Finally! Finally her father was giving her a task befitting of her position! She was to make contact with the Japanese, and address them over the rightful ownership of the terrain they were on. After all, Alnus hill was part of the lands owned by the Emperor. As a foreign power, the Japanese were unlawfully building a town. To her surprise however, he didn't ask for immediate surrender. He heavily insisted on the fact that under no circumstances was war to break out between the Empire and the Japanese, and relations to remain positive.  
She was puzzled, but she didn't question the order.

It took longer than expected as the two noblemen she was protecting were bickering over tiny details, but when the accord was finally struck and the Senator safely brought back to his province, she immediately rounded up her knights and made her way to Alnus.

They soon reached the first part of the town, which looked like a typical imperial village with wooden hovels covered in thatch roofs, and a few seemingly important buildings with stone walls. She was surprised at the number of demi-humans observing them with varying degrees of emotions, going from mild excitement to outright hate.

"Have we done something to them?" Asked Panache with worry, riding at Pina's left.

"We're imperials. Even more, we're direct representatives of the Imperial family." Answered Grey Co Aldo, riding up to them. "If the rumors are to be trusted, the Japanese don't practice slavery, and allow any race to live in Alnus Town. Here, they don't have to worry about slavers and they can make an actual living. It's a safe heaven."

Pina looked at the veteran with understanding eyes.

"I guess if it takes them away from the likes of my brother, I can understand…"

Grey raised his arms, covering his ears, smirking.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

They went deeper into the town, the procession of knights bringing in a large crowd, the knights tightening their hands around their weapon's handle. They were trained warriors and wore expensive armor, but even them couldn't fight off a bloodthirsty crowd.

Thankfully, the crowd's aggressiveness dissipated when a green iron chariot drove close to them. The knights looked, flabbergasted, at the sight of the cart moving seemingly on its own. They had heard rumors, but seeing it in person was something else. No horse or animal either pulled or pushed it, and glass windows at the front let them see the inside. From there, five men dressed in green got out and started dispersing the crowd.

"Shandy, Suissesse, Nikolasha!" Shouted the princess, catching the attention of the named knights. "Flags up! And everyone, stand at attention!"

The flags of the Red Rose, Blue Rose and White Rose raised in the air, proudly displaying the allegiance of the knights, while the men and women under Pina's orders stood in rows of three at equal distances. One hand tightened in a fist over their heart, the other on the pommel of their swords.

Satisfied that at least all the time spent marching in victory parades wasn't completely useless, the Princess redirected her attention to the Japanese soldiers. They were still dispersing the crowd, but now a group of three was heading towards them, followed by a short woman with blue hair, a thick white, blue and light green dress and a magical staff in her right hand.  
Now that they were closer, she could make out the equipment of the soldiers. A helmet, what looked like a padded vest protecting their chests but not their arms, and no other visible protective equipment. In their hands was a black staff, which reminded her of a crossbow, albeit one bulkier and with no visible mechanism to launch the bolt. And finally of important note was that they all wore the same uniform, and their equipment was unified, meaning Japan was rich enough to arm its soldiers.

Clearing her voice, Pina took the most authoritative tone she could muster.

"I am Pina Co Lada, envoy and daughter of the Emperor Molt Sol Augustus! I wish to speak to the lord of this town!"

The soldier at the front frowned, before speaking in hushed tones at the blue-haired girl, who raised her monotonous voice.

"General Hazama is a busy man, says Lieutenant Hatake, but he'll most certainly be able to clear up his agenda for you, Princess Pina. However, Lieutenant Hatake says that you can only take three knights with you, the rest will have to wait in the outer ring of the city or leave."

Gasps of indignation sounded from the knight's ranks, and Norma was the one to sound their protest.

"We're Princess Pina's knights! We have a duty to protect her! We-"

His shouting was interrupted by the Princess raising her right arm.

"It's fine, Norma. I trust the Japanese not to harm me. I will take with me Bozes, Grey and Panache. But they will keep their weapons, as well as I will. Will that be alright?"

Mentally, Pina was sweating bullets. She was essentially offering herself up on a silver plate if the Japanese wanted to capture her, but then again, her father's informant who brought her the letter assured that they weren't hostile to the Empire.

After a short while of translating between the mage girl and this "Lieutenant Hatake", she got her answer.

"The Lieutenant says it's alright, as long as you keep your blades sheathed."

"Naturally." She answered. "The rest of you, wait outside of the town!"

After her knights begrudgingly accepted to retreat, she spurred her horse forward, following the iron chariot driving at her pace.

* * *

Hazama heard the last report from Hatake with relief, before putting down the radio and turning to the other occupant in the office. He was Koji Sugawara, a Japanese embassador. For the first contact, it was chosen to let the Japanese handle the discussion as they were obviously the most concerned about whatever could come through the Gate.

Hazama's office was quite simple all things considering, but it had its own degree of comfort. In the back of the room, behind the general's desk was a sword stand with a luxurious katana, Hazama's family heirloom. Occupying the other side of the room was a short table and two comfortable sofas to conduct more private business, as well as a small cabinet holding a few bottles of luxurious alcohol. On the walls were a few shelves displaying cups and medals of the General's skill in Taekwondo and Kendo.

"The Princess will be there in a few minutes. , it seems you were right."

"Naturally." Answered the diplomat. "We're building a town on this Empire's territory. It was only a matter of time before some kind of official representative came to see what was up. However, I'm concerned about the other ambassadors we're currently housing…"

"Ah yes, the…" Hazama picked up a document from his desk, flipping a few pages. "The League Principality, the Dragon's Shore Islands, Elbe and Toumaren…"

"I'm amazed they had the mind to send ambassadors at all, with all the chaos caused by the Dragon before your soldiers took it down, General. And giving how the vassals rebelled against the Empire, I fear she would hurt them if she saw them."

The General frowned.

"I would feel insulted if this diplomatic envoy was stupid enough to attempt that. Besides, I intently let the Imperials enter Alnus to observe their reaction. They didn't insult, attack or did anything of the sort to the residents. Rest assured, my men were at the ready to end them on a moment's notice if such a thing happened. Nevertheless, the princess' here, let us be ready."

Hazama stood straight in the middle of the room while Sugawara stood at his side, dusting an nonexistent stain on his suit.

Soon, a knock sounded in the silent room, followed by a JSDF soldier entering, ushering in the Princess, a female knight with blond drill hair and another female knight with short white hair, while a male knight remained outside the door. All were incredibly beautiful, a standard commonly shared by the women of Falmart it seemed.

The Princess wore plate armor on her feet, chest and arms, finely decorated with golden engraving and a crimson cape with a rose was held in place by two rubies on her shoulders. A sword in a luxurious white and gold sheathe rested at her side. Her hair was put together in a braid, and a fine circlet of gold and jewels adorned her forehead.

The knight with blonde hair had an equally beautiful armor, but had a rolled-up parchment rolled in her right hand. The knight in white hair had a lighter armor, mainly composed of mail and leather, while her cape sported a blue rose.

The princess stood undecided for a moment, wondering who to speak to, but Hazama was the first to speak.

"Princess Pina Co Lada of the Empire, it's an honor to meet you. I am General Hazama, commander of the task force sent by Japan to Falmart. To my right is ambassador Koji Sugawara, envoy of our government."

Pointing to the sofa on the other side of a table, he mentally congratulated himself.

Thanks to the time passed mingling with the local population, all of the important figures of Alnus had learned an acceptable level of Saderan. Thankfully, the imperial language spoken by almost everyone, Low Saderan, was a mix of latin, Greek and celtic language which made it much easier to learn to the people from earth. High Saderan, the language spoken by the Imperial nobility, was an old form of latin.

Hazama's speech was a little rough around the edges, but it was more than acceptable for any type of discussion.

"General Hazama, since you know me, let me present by followers. With me are Bozes Co Palesti, my second in command, Panache Fure Kalgi of the White Rose and Norma Co Igloo of the Blue Rose. I have come with an official message from the Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, and to act in his name. Bozes!"

The blonde-haired knight got up, unfolding the parchment in front of her. She cleared her throat, before reading the content in an authoritarian tone.

"In the name of our glorious Emperor, Molt Sol Augustus, Ruler of the Empire of Sader, conquerer of the northern mountain tribes, blessed of Emroy! The settlement known as "Alnus Town", built by the Japanese on Holy Alnus has been done so without seeking the counsel of the Emperor who owns the land, and is desecrating a holy ground as well! This is grave offense to His imperial authority, but His majesty is generous! His majesty recognizes Alnus Town as part of Japan, and wishes to open positive relations between the two powers!"

While the four Japanese expected the empire to react to the occupation of the territory, they didn't expect the religious part. The diplomat was the first to react.

"Am I to understand we are conducting negotiation with a religious figure, Princess?"

The three knights in front of them watched him with confusion.

"What? No. I represent my father, the Emperor of Sader." Said the Princess. "Whether or not the gods will look upon favourably of your presence on such a holy place is not of my business. And if the gods are against you… I fear even you wouldn't be able to withstand the wrath of their apostles…"

Mentally, Hazama made a note to conduct a more thorough research on Falmart's religion. Rory Mercury, the supposed apostle of Emroy, the God of war, was currently housed amongst the refugees. He read the report of her exploits when helping to defend a column of refugees second lieutenant Itami was leading to Alnus against a large group of bandits. He saw the footage of her ability to cleave entire formations of men with her giant halberd. If more of these… Demi-gods attacked Alnus simultaneously, the JSDF could get in trouble. And that was not counting the possible addition of magic into the equation.

However, the general wasn't too much worried.

The "Allied Nations", former vassals of the Empire, attacked them before. They were pushed back with ease, and even then, their defensive position was terrible. Now that they had a literal fortress fitted with tens of tanks, helicopters and heavy ordinance, along with a runway for jet fighters to take off, fighting a technologically inferior enemy who relied on numbers to win would be a child's play.

"So, you wish to discuss the ownership of Alnus Hill, is this correct?" Asked Sugawara. "Even through diplomatic or military means, the Japanese government has put too much funds in this project to let it go…"

The Princess visibly shuddered.

"By the Gods, no! My father wishes to recognize Holy Alnus as a territory of Japan. We know what you are capable of, the failed assault of the former vassals against you was enough. What we want is trade and friendly relations from one power to another."

The two Japanese looked at each other for a second, before turning back to the Princess.

"I'm afraid it's not our duty to take that decision, Princess. However, your message shall obviously be relayed to the higher authorities. Shall we discuss the details?"

Before she could answer, Hazama's radio crackled to life, surprising the imperials who looked for the source of the noise. Excusing himself, the General got up from the sofa and picked up the radio.

"Hazama here, what's happening? I'm pretty sure I told I didn't want to be bothered. Over."

"_Lieutenant Iyemasu, posted at the Gate sir. Sorry sir, but there's a bunch of trucks waiting to enter Alnus Base, they say they've got your clearance but I see nothing of the sort in my papers. Should I let them in? They already passed the checks back in Tokyo. Over."_

Confused, Hazama searched in his mind but to his knowledge, he authorized no such thing. However, as he was about to flick the button to answer the lieutenant, the recognizable sound of a firearm's safety being turned off in the silent room froze his movements.

"You will let these trucks pass, General." Said a sultry voice. "And of course, the air base shall not be notified of these trucks. No drone, helicopter or plane shall take off to search for them. And naturally, no one else outside of this room will be made aware of what happened here."

Slowly raising his arms and turning around, Hazama witnessed the JSDF soldier who let the Princess in, holding the general at gun point. Using his free arm, he knocked on the door a few times. Then, a second soldier came in. As soon as the door was closed, he too took out his gun and pointed it at the Princess and her two knights.

"And finally," added the first soldier, "We'll be taking the Princess with us. Should something be happening that we do not appreciate, she'll be killed and the murder placed on the JSDF's back. Hazama, get behind your desk, arms raised. I wouldn't want you getting any funny ideas."

While the general moved, the Imperials were ever more confused. Standing between the two parties, the princess and her knights had obviously understood that something unexpected was brewing amongst the JSDF. They of course couldn't understand Japanese and as such were left in the dark.

Hazama himself observed the soldier more closely, until he understood who he was. Under the colored lenses, the life-like wig and the glasses was the supposed agent from Internal Security who he met a few days ago. How he managed to sneak in the command's guard team in such a short time was a mystery.

"You do know there are literally thousands of soldiers answering to my orders outside of this building, right? " He told.

"Of course." Answered the traitor with a smirk. "But how many are loyal to you, general? I may be against you, but I did work for internal security once. I did everything that is necessary to reach my goal. You think too much of the outside threat, but not enough of the inside threat."

"Am I to assume Agent Niseki never existed to begin with?"

"Stop wasting my time, General. Now, take your radio and give the authorization for these trucks to pass. If it isn't done in a minute, just know that the bases' helicopter hangar is rigged to explode on my command." Said the traitor, pointing to a detonator now sticking out of a pocket.

Hazama's hands were effectively bound. His office didn't have any camera, so unless someone came in, he was at the traitor's mercy. And unfortunately, it was currently lunch time. For about thirty more minutes, the only people working in the general's office vicinity were low-ranked privates who had no reason to interact with him. And to add insult to injury, Hazama had his service gun in the safe in his desk today. He would never be able to unlock the safe, load the gun and fire before the traitor.

However, fortune would smile today.

"GREY!" Shouted Pina. She understood at least that a treason was happening within the JSDF, and she wouldn't be dragged like a toy to whatever machination was taking place.

Immediately, Grey Co Aldo burst out in the room roaring, sword in hand and almost dislocating the door from its hinges. While the two traitors raised their guns in Grey's direction, Pina unsheathed her blade and impaled one of the traitors in a swift move. Blood immediately poured out like a broken faucet, and the Princess let go of her sword, opting instead for a lunge at the second traitor with her dagger which she hastily grabbed.

The second traitor, seeing that the situation was slipping out of his control, fired twice at Pina, the first shot missing her but the second going right through her armor and her shoulder, sending her screaming to the ground.

Before he could fire a third time, he found something odd. His gun hand wasn't responding to his command. Like a curious child, he looked down only to find his hand was missing. Looking back up, he saw Hazama, katana in hand, ready to strike a second time.

Using Pina's distraction, the general had unsheathed his family heirloom, and just like his ancestors, wielded the three-century old blade with a grace only the best could show.

The second strike never came, instead, something dense hit the back of the traitor's head who immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.

Sugawara immediately dropped Hazama's kendo cup and fell on his knees, heaving. He was no soldier, and seeing both a man run through with a sword and another lose his hand was too much for the diplomat's mind.

Seeing that the situation was back under control, Hazama sheathed the sword back and picked the radio.

"Lieutenant Iyemasu, arrest immediately everyone on these trucks, no exception! Be cautious, lethal force may be used against you. You have clearance to fire as you see fit! Over!"

Without waiting for the answer, he switched the channel.

"Lt. Colonel Kengun, Hazama here! Over."

"_Sir, Lieutenant Kengun here, what-"_

"Security of the base is compromised; explosives are likely to be placed in the helicopter hangar! Check the land vehicles, planes garage and the armoury as well, and look out for suspicious behaviour, we might have traitors in our ranks! I want the base on full lockdown! No one in, no one out! Pass the order to Colonel Kamo! Over!"

"_I… Sir, yes sir! What about the civilians?"_

"They're to stay in their homes. Anyone outside will be considered a suspect and immediately apprehended until I, and no one else, releases the lockdown! Over!"

Switching the channel one last time, Hazama tried to calm himself. Now that the direct danger was over, he needed to reign in his emotions. After making sure that an ambulance was sent to his office from the base's hospital, he put back the radio on his desk.

Now, he needed to make sure that the Princess was healed. With a little luck, he would even make her think she owed him a favour. As he prepared to speak to the imperials who had their blades unsheathed, one last thought passed his mind.

"_I need to contact the team sent to Elbe, but if Niseki was a traitor, can I trust any of them?..."_

* * *

**Hello there, author here,**

**Sorry for the long pause, but starting from today I should go back to the regular release schedule.**

**Happy new year, and see you next week!**


	27. Chapter 26: Trouble in Elbian town

After leaving Elyzee's shop, Yuna quickly received a translation from Alnus of the shop's ledger. Finding the name of the person who bought in the largest quantities charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur had been easy enough, and with Valère's help (along with a few coins), placing a location on that name was done swiftly.

It turned out; a woman named Osgarda Ro Bourdon was the one leading the operation. According to Valère, she was a court wizard, specializing in alchemy. When Taketa, Yuna and Myuute went to the noble district to find her workplace, they couldn't enter the building pointed by the inn owner. But the extremely heavy guard presence, the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air and Myuute's acute hearing allowing her to overhear their conversation, making the conclusion that this was where the ammunition was being produced came naturally.

That meant that the policemen's task was over. They now just had to go back to the Sun Wheel inn, tell the special force team where to strike and then wait.

Late in the night, a light knock sounded in the mostly silent room. Recognizing the pattern of three knocks, a short pause then two knocks, Taketa picked up a lit candle and went to open the door, leaving Yuna to help Myuute to learn how to write in Japanese.

On the other side of the door were two of the members of Bowman, and if Taketa recalled correctly, their code name were Archer and Arrowhead. However, no other member was there.

"Did something go wrong?" He asked.

"They were prepared for us." Answered Arrowhead with a sigh. "Although we completed the objective and destroyed the machines, we got a casualty and three wounded…"

Yuna dropped the pencil she was holding upon hearing the sentence, startling Myuute who was completely focused on the sheet of paper in front of her.

"I know." Continued Arrowhead with a frown. "And I'm not losing another soldier today, help me get them on the cart and we move immediately towards Alnus. We'll get a med-evac once we're far enough from the city."

"Of course!" Answered the chief inspector.

Followed by Yuna and Myuute, he packed what little things he had and followed the two soldiers outside. As the siren went to fetch the horses in the stable, the two police officers followed the soldiers to the shed where their cart was.

They were ushered in and the door closed in order for outsiders not to see the strangely dressed soldiers, or at least that's what Yuna assumed. But the only source of light in the shed was a lantern near the entrance, and as much as she looked, she couldn't see a body or injured soldier.

"Hey, can you give us… Some… Light…" As she turned to the soldiers, she found herself looking at the black mouth of two silenced Glocks pointed in her direction.

"Sorry girl…" Said one of them. "You're just at the wrong place at the wrong time…"

"SENPAI!" She screamed, her brain immediately going into panic. Her muscle memory threw her to the ground, making the first two bullets targeted at her harmlessly fly over. She then scrambled to cover, a third bullet punching a hole into the dirt floor at her feet.

The dress she wore as her disguise impeded her movements, but ironically saved her a wound as another bullet tore through the cloth between her feet.

She got behind a short stone wall, originally intended to separate the carts of each merchant but now giving her much needed cover. Raising her skirt, she grabbed the New Nambu M60 revolver strapped to her thigh and cocked the hammer, before assessing the situation.

She was crouched behind a wall, merely a few meters away from her two assailants. The shed was dark, but not enough to hide her completely. Thankfully, the only lantern was behind the soldiers, making it easy for her to spot them and hard for them to aim at her.

As she was now in relative safety, she glanced at Taketa and panic froze her heart. He was on the ground, moaning and clutching his belly, a blood stain spreading larger every second on his disguise. Contrary to her, he didn't see the two soldiers aiming at them and didn't get to cover in time.

She was no doctor, but she knew how to treat basic gunshot wounds. If she couldn't heal him in time, then it was likely he was done for.

Unfortunately, she was alone. A single police officer, who knew how to shoot yet wasn't an expert, against two experienced special forces soldiers who were ready to kill.

To say the odds weren't good was an understatement.

But they weren't zero either.

They expected an easy kill. She wouldn't give them one.

Undoing the tight cloth on her hair, she threw it in the air. Just like she expected, the white cloth drew the attention of the gunmen and was immediately punctured with two holes, while she peeked out of cover.

She spotted one of them crouched behind a crate and fired twice in his direction. In comparison to the subsonic ammunition and silencers the soldiers had, her revolver sounded like a roar of defiance, one that also most likely woke up the whole inn and nearby houses this late in the night.

Before seeing if her shots were effective, she saw the other soldier aiming at her, and ducked just before a bullet whizzed above her head. However, now another problem presented itself.

She only had three bullets left in the cylinder of her gun. She had a few additional rounds on the belt at her thig, but the reloading process would be way too long.

She cursed both at the Ministry of Justice for insisting on keeping such obsolete weapons in this day and age, but also at her luck as she heard footsteps closing in, while the second soldier was probably ready to fill her full of lead should she try to get out of cover.

Sweat appeared on her forehead. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Darting desperately her eyes around, she looked for an escape, anything that could turn the situation around.

And she saw one. From his position on the ground, Taketa was fiddling in an inside pocket with one hand, maintaining pressure on his wound with the other. In the darkness, she saw him pull out his own gun. He was in no condition to aim or fire, both were aware of it. But Yuna was, and he readied himself to slide it to her. Fortunately, while not undercover at all, the two soldiers probably thought of him as dead or didn't see him moving in the dark.

The atmosphere, as thick as it was, was strangely silent. Yuna didn't speak in order to not have her precise location revealed. The soldiers didn't too. The only sounds were the steady steps of the approaching soldier and Taketa's occasional painful groan.

Raising her gun hand above cover, she fired her three remaining bullets randomly, forcing the soldier that was advancing towards her to dive to the ground. Taketa used the noise to slide his gun towards her unnoticed. She gripped it tightly, waiting for the right occasion.

"I count five shots, girl! Make this easy for us and you won't suffer!" Said the soldier behind cover.

Yuna didn't answer. She steadied her breath, preparing herself to possibly kill for the first time in her life. She knew that it might happen someday in her career as a police officer, and there was no way to prepare for it. She caught her shaking gun hand with the other hand, firmly holding the firearm and mentally repeating to herself that everything would be fine.

The soldier that was advancing towards her, now close enough, peeked over the stone wall, gun first.

Before he could react, he found himself staring at the black mouth of a revolver.

"Son of a-"

Taketa's revolver roared, sending a bullet straight through the man's throat. He dropped his gun, wordlessly putting his hands at his throat, before making a strangled noise and falling back.

"I count two guns!" She said, picking up the soldier's Glock who had fallen on her side of the wall. She trusted Taketa's revolver enough, but there was a reason such weapons were almost never used nowadays. She was way more comfortable with a larger magazine and rate of fire.

"You bitch!" Was the only insult the other soldier could muster.

Yuna felt strangely alive. She had just taken out a life. It was to protect her own, but still. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins, the air flowing through her lungs and the seemingly heavier weapon than before. She was high on adrenaline, and raw energy coursed through her muscles.

The doors of the shed brutally opened, revealing the inn owner armed with a wooden club in one hand and a lantern in the other, followed by Myuute who had a green glow coming from her hands.

"What's happening here? Thieves?!" He roared.

Just as the soldier turned around, the glow in Myuute's hands intensified, turning into a violent gale. The wind was so strong, it sent the soldier from its prone position crashing straight into the opposite wall. Immediately, Yuna raised out of cover and aimed at him while he was incapacitated. The gun jerked in her hands thrice, and the soldier fell dead with a gargle, three crimson blossoms appearing on his chest.

As soon as she confirmed the kill, she dropped her gun and ran to Myuute. The confused Valère and even more confused Siren didn't know how to react when Yuna tightly hugged her. As the adrenaline died down, the trembling in Yuna's arms grew.

Despite their time together being short, Yuna had grown fond of the Siren. To her, she was kind of like a little sister. She was young, she was learning how to write and she was unbearably cute to the earthling. In a sense, it replaced the little sister Yuna never had. And right now, her adorable little sister had saved her life.

After about a minute, Myuute gently patted Yuna's shoulders. Smiling, Yuna separated from her and patted the Siren's head in return.

Now, time was for her to put her limited medical skills to use.

* * *

Valère had been kind enough to provide a room for her to do what she could with Taketa's wound, along with clean water. Still, Yuna didn't trust the cleanliness of the fluid and had asked Myuute to boil it before, and the siren was also entrusted with a few silver coins for the inn owner for the commotion.

Pulling out her bloodied hands from Taketa's belly, Yuna sighed and put back the remaining bandages on the nightstand nearby.

"It's a gut shot, senpai. No internal bleeding but you will need a doctor, we'll radio Alnus for a helicopter."

"N-no…"

Puzzled, she looked at her superior. Amongst the first aid supplies they had a little amount of painkillers, enough for the pain to subside for some time but not much more. Considering her skills and what she had, all she did was to assess the damage, remove the bullet and put a bandage over the wound.

That's why she was surprised he was still conscious. His pale skin, ragged breathing and glazed eyes suggested he needed rest more than anything. And yet, he was conscious and refused the med-evac.

"The soldiers…" He said, between two cough fits. "Probably haven't destroyed the… Machines… For the ammunition. You need to… Do it. Also we need to… Know, who's behind all that… Or all of… This… These deaths… Will be for nothing. I have… A few days before… The infection sets in…"

And before he could finish his sentence, he finally fell unconscious.

A little bit shocked, Yuna stood a few moments unmoving. She was woken up by the noise of the small radio hidden in Taketa's hat coming to life.

"_Gennosuke? Chief inspector Gennosuke? Answer me, Superintendent Junichi Kastuo here!"_

Bringing the device closer to her face, Yuna flicked its button.

"Inspector Kanamori here, Superintendent. "

A sigh of relief passed through the radio.

"_Thank the gods, it's not too late! Kanamori, is everything alright over there?"_

"We've been attacked, sir. Chief inspector Taketa is currently incapacitated, he's resting. The special force team turned against us, or at least two of them. I don't know what's happened to the four remaining members."

"_Damn it all! So it was too late after all… Listen, Inspector Kanamori, I guess you deserve to know considering your relation with Gennosuke… Someone just tried to murder Hazama! The base is on full lockdown, and there's been a firefight at the Gate! Hazama did get some wounded, but no casualties yet. The people who began all of this are becoming bolder by the day, and I wouldn't be surprised if such actions were to take place more frequently unless we find the culprit. Did you progress on the case?"_

"Yes sir! We found the place, but since the special force team was supposed to destroy it, I don't know if they could be trusted."

"_So it's only you and the Siren?"_

"Yes"

There was a short moment of silence.

"_Inspector Kanamori. You're the only asset we have at the moment. It pains me to ask this of you, but you MUST find the culprit. Politicians are going crazy, accusatory fingers are already being pointed and it's only a matter of time before the media gets a hold of it. The ammunition for the Gatlings isn't even that important anymore, but you have to find a name, a clue, ANYTHING that would help us find the culprit and stop all of this madness. Because if we don't, we'll become the world's punching bag…"_

This was a proposal Yuna could hardly refuse. Not only because it came from a superior, but also because the fact that, like the superintendent said, she was the only asset they had available. Granted, they could send in another commando team, but by the time they came and clues about the culprit, who knew what the mysterious enemy was capable of doing?

Taking a deep breath, she gave her answer.

"I'll do it, Superintendent."

"_Good, good. Now, I know this is far from your usual duties, therefore you can take whatever you want from the equipment the commando brought with them. The code to open the case is 34589. I'll be counting on you tonight, . All of the people on this side of the Gate will. Good luck."_

And with that, the device went back to its inert state.

Yuna sighed. At the same moment, Myuute came back into the room.

"Ah, Myuute, you're here! Perfect. I…"

Now that it was time for her to announce the news to Myuute, the words got stuck in her throat.

How was she supposed to say to her nominal little sister that she might not come back? A question that was asked by hundreds of thousands of soldiers throughout history, with none of them having the right answer.

"Yes? What is it, Yuna-san?"

With a sigh, the inspector admitted defeat. There was no roundabout way to say what she was about to announce…

* * *

About an hour later, Yuna found herself in front of the building Taketa, Myuute and She scouted earlier in the day.

In the end, she said what she had to do to the Siren, and while she maintained her composure, Yuna could see the sadness in her eyes. The sadness of saying goodbye to one of her best friends, just like before the bandits attacked her village.

Yuna had closed her heart, lest emotions took hold of her body.

For her mission, she didn't take that much equipment. After all, she still had to pass the checks to enter the wealthy district where her target was.

She passed the check by posing as a slightly drunk noblewoman going back home, with a beautiful frilly dress under which she hid what she would need. The guards didn't even stop her despite the late hour, merely wishing her a good night.

Before going in, she went in an alleyway, tearing off the stuffy dress and unveiling the mainly dark blue and black clothes she had underneath. Courtesy of the late Bowman team, the light Kevlar chestpiece would protect her at least from pistol rounds, should there be a need to.

All she had at her belt was a knife, a silenced Glock and two magazines for it. Not that she planned to need it at all. She was still shocked at the fact that she took a life, she didn't know if she would be capable of doing it again. She also had a police baton. While far from an ideal weapon in a lethal scenario, she's rather use something she was used at.

In a backpack she had managed to sneak through the check were two loafs of C4. Back in training, she took a course on hostage situations, which included tactical breaching lessons and the use of breaching tools. She was confident enough that if she ever found the machines, she would be able to arm the explosives just like she did with the breaching charges.

Sighing one last time, she tried to control the shaking in her hands, and took a firm step forward.

* * *

**Hello there, author here.**

**Thanks for the reaction to the last chapter!**

**BigBadAud666:**** I must say it's the first time I've read that spelling for "Russian", hehe. Nevertheless, I tried to be more original when it comes to the bad guy. **

**Kiyone4ever:** **Well, Hazama knows about this, Pina does too. Doesn't change the fact that he'll try to convince her.**

**MadClawDragon:** **I'm as surprised as you lel**

**See al of you next week!**


	28. Chapter 27: Infiltration for beginners

Yuna turned around the corner of the back alley she hid in, observing her target.

The building where the ammunition was being produced, situated in the wealthy district of the Elbian capital, didn't really stand out. It shared the architecture of its neighbours and only the smell of gunpowder and the guards at its front confirmed it was her target.

It was two-stories tall, with a gate at its side likely leading to an inner courtyard. In front of the entrance was a guard with a spear, with a dog sitting at his side. Despite the late hour of the night, both didn't even look sleepy. The sharp gaze, the immaculate armor, the strange runes etched in the metal and in the dog's, collar made her realize that those weren't simple guards. Maybe expensive mercenaries, or even royal guards taken from the castle.

And it made sense. According to the locals of Alnus, even the combined armed forces of the former vassals were less numerous than the Empire's military might. The Gatlings heavily supporting Elbe's attacks and the fact that the former vassals currently attacked the Empire from all sides was the only factor which gave them an edge in the battlefield. With that in mind, it would be normal to protect the facility with your best soldiers, but with not too much of them to at least try to hide the importance of the location.

Seeing that the front door was out of question to enter unnoticed, Yuna went back in the alleyways, taking a large detour to avoid detection and check the other sides of the building. All windows were barred with thick metal bars, and there was no other door.

Taking her last option, she went back to the side of the building, where the courtyard was. A wall separated it from the streets, forcing her to climb it using the stone jutting out. Once on top of it, she looked for a landing zone.

Inside the courtyard were three carts covered by a thick cloth just under her, as well a few crates stacked on top of each other. On one of the crates was a sitting guard, fortunately without a dog, watching the gate to the streets.

He was back to her, but she would have to be extremely careful to remain unnoticed.

Step by step, fingers hurt from the lack of proper platform, careful even of the noise generated by her clothes' friction, she made her way down.

As she neared the floor and dropped her hold on the wall, a small fragment of stone crumbled down, loudly bouncing on the ground. Silently swearing, she ducked behind one of the carts, holding a hand over her mouth.

The guard glanced back with a "hum?", grabbing a spear in one hand and a lantern in the other.

Yuna's heart raced as the steps neared closer. The shadows shortened more and more, and sweat dripped on her forehead. Would her attempt finish this quickly? She prayed that it wouldn't.

The steps stopped when the guard reached the other side of the cart, separated by less than two meters to Yuna. As he moved his lantern around, looking for the source of the noise, a squeaking rat suddenly ran out from the cart, quickly followed by two if its brethren.

"Damned rats…" Muttered the guard, quickly losing interest. "Told them to get rid of the corpses immediately…" He said, going back to his previous position.

Yuna's heart slowly calmed as the immediate danger disappeared. Confirming that the guard wasn't looking in her direction, she took a peek under the cloth and immediately regretted doing so.

Mere centimeters from her face was a bloodied face, looking at her with hollow eyes. The slanted eyes, pale skin and dark green garb left no doubt as to who the person was. At least, she wouldn't have to search for the remaining members of Bowman.

She silently gagged and took a closer look. They had been killed with bullets, all from the back. That and the bullet holes on the wall she just saw now made it clear what happened to them. The two traitors that attacked them probably gunned the soldiers by surprise at this very place, not leaving a single chance for them to fight back.

She grabbed the dog tags and put them in a tight pocket so they wouldn't make any noise, then pulled the cloth back on their face, praying for their souls.

That done, she looked at her options for the next course of action to take.

A large gate lead to the inside, but it was way too large to open quietly. Choosing her second option, she stepped from cover to cover, making sure that the guard didn't hear her. She quickly reached the hatch she had spotted earlier and opened it. Judging from the black soot around it, it was a coal hole.

With just enough place to fit her body in the slim opening, she went in feet first, quickly falling on a pile of coal. She remained unmoving for a full minute, listening for any noise, but it seemed her fall wasn't heard. Just before leaving, she considered the black rocks she was on for a short while then rubbed one against her face. That way, at least light wouldn't reflect from her pale skin as much as before.

In one half of the room was the large pile of coal she just landed on, while on the other were a number of barrels. She opened one of them and just like she thought, black powder filled them. And just now, something striked her that she should have thought of before.

A single spark could send the entire building into flames, not even speaking about the surrounding area. Her whole plan with the C4 crumbled just like that.

She had expected them to store the actual black powder in another place to avoid incidents, but those people were literally touching and manipulating the powder for less than two months. Of course, they would have security flaws.

Closing back the lid of the barrel, she left the room through the staircase leading up. She found herself in a larger room, with many large tables on which rested small sheets of paper and various ingredients in smaller barrels.

Then, another fact striked her. Of course they wouldn't have machines either! The investigation led by the JSDF had showed that the Gatlings used paper cartridges. Most likely, there were multiple teams working each day to produce the ammunition in this very room. That meant no machine to destroy, but it also meant that she could do nothing permanent about the production of the ammunition.

With the C4 now completely useless to her, she hid it behind a crate. They may find it, but it was likely they would never even know what it was.

The exit led to a corridor which had a staircase at the end, a T-shaped intersection and two doors, one opened with a dim flicker of light trickling out. She tip-toed to the first room and peeked inside, but only found what looked like a kitchen. She was about to leave when something caught her attention. Revealed by the light of a small electric lamp she had, was a purple uniform with a white maid apron on top. As an idea sprang into her mind, she quickly put on the purple uniform over her clothes, cut a hole in the middle to have access to her weapons then hid it with the apron, and then cleaned the soot on her face with a jug of water on a counter.

Satisfied, she left and continued her exploration. The path branching out at the intersection led to the entrance so she approached the second door which was opened.

A light cackle froze her movements.

Her heart froze, before going back to its regular rhythm when she realized the laugh came from inside the second room.

Inside, under the light of a candle, three guards were playing a dice game with filled mugs in front of them, while, to her horror, at least ten more guards soundly slept in beds. On the other side of the room was a true armory of swords, shields, spears, armor and halberds.  
One of the sitting guards, instead of having a regular armor, instead had lighter clothes and a wristband with a large ruby embedded in it on his right hand.

Two of the guards were back to her, but the third was facing her and while he was focused on the dice, he wasn't completely blind either. As he took his mug and drank a big gulp, she tip-toed past the door.

"Hey!"

She immediately stopped. The guard's mug hadn't been enough to cover her figure in the hallway. He pulled out a sword from his side, quickly followed by his two allies then approached her.

With all the guards nearby, she had no chance of getting the information she wanted if she fought back. Instead, she took her best imitation of an intimidated maid she could.

"S-Sir guard, what is-"

The guard cut her, threatening her with the point of his weapon. Meanwhile, her mind was working at full speed, trying to come up with a valid excuse.

"Who're you?!"

"Milord! I was sent by Mistress Osgarda! She forgot an important item in her office, she sent me to get it to her!"

The head guard remained silent for a moment, studying her face. His sword was still pointed at her, and still very threatening. She prayed the sweat on her forehead wouldn't betray her.

"I've never seen you before…"

She faked an uneasy smile.

"Milord, I was only recently hired. The head maid didn't want to bother herself, so she sent me instead at this hour of the night…"

She saw it in his eyes. He didn't believe her one bit. She prepared to pull out the gun behind her apron, but one of the two other guards put a hand on his shoulder.

"Reolus, wait. I did hear about Miss Bourdon hiring new maids in preparation for her sister's child. Plus, she has the Bourdon's uniform, no weapon and…"

Yuna didn't have to fake her surprise when suddenly the man brought his right hand in front of her, and the ruby on the elaborate wristband glowed brightly.

In retrospect, it made sense for such an important place to have a mage defend it.

"She has no magic powers, and no magical items on her. Do you really believe anyone would sent anyone like her? I'll go with her, there's going to be me, Bertulf and Rathar up there watching her while she gets whatever item she's looking for, then she'll leave. Is that alright with you?"

The guard named Reolus looked at her for a while, still unconvinced, but he grumped and sheathed back his sword.

"Hhmpf. Be quick about it, Andovald. You still owe me a whole denari, don't forget about it."

With that said, the head guard walked back to the gambling table followed by the third guard, while Andovald led her upstairs.

How lucky she was! Not only did her disguise work, they were leading her right to where what she was searching for would be.

Well, it wasn't a 100% certainty, in fact, whatever important information she would have to find would be hidden. But still, she was closer to her goal than before.

The first floor consisted of a hallway with a door on each side, the left one guarded by two other armored soldiers, most likely the two other people Andovald had mentioned. The mage led her to it, as they looked at her with curiosity.

"Osgarda's maid. She needs something in the office, open the door."

She was studied for a bit, then the door was unlocked and opened. The inside was only lit by the moonlight coming from a barred window, so there wasn't much she could see.

However, before she could do anything, she was violently pushed inside. She fell ungraciously on the floor, managing to painfully twist a finger in the process.

Andovald looked at her, expressionless, then closed the door with a bang.

"What the-…"

Before she could finish her sentence, a gag blocked her mouth from behind and a black bag was stuffed over her head, and while she struggled to remove it, someone pinned her down. Again, she struggled as much as she could, but two other pair of hands maintained hers in place. A thick rope bound her wrist, and another quickly did the same around her feet.

"Stop struggling girl, you'll only hurt yourself!" Said a gruff voice.

Hearing the Japanese voice shocked her, to say the least. She didn't expect to hear her people's language in such a place.

Given that she was essentially harmless now, she stopped fighting back the hands that checked her body and unarmed her. The hands spent a little bit too much time in her nether regions and around her breasts to her liking, but she swallowed her pride and remained silent.

Once her weapons were taken away, she was hauled up, and put on a chair.

The black bag was removed from her head, letting her see the surroundings.

Just in front of her was a solid wooden table on which rested a lit camping electric light. Behind the desk was a man in luxurious Elbian clothes, but the gun resting in front of him, the radio station on a nearby smaller desk and the thin glasses on his nose assured that this was only a disguise. His face… Well, she could only describe it as the archetype of a Japanese salaryman, it being probably the main reason he was able to somehow sneak through the Gate.

Behind her were three other men in Elbian soldier garb but again, the firearms laying on a desk nearby, the ammo boxes and the few modern devices left no doubt about the true nature of these men.

In corner of the room, she noted the existence of a small safe, the type usually seen in civilian homes to keep valuable jewellery and such.

"Can we remove that gag? I don't like my conversations to be one-sided. If you want to scream, scream away but it'll be useless. This room has thick walls and the guards won't help you." Said the man sitting in front of her.

Scared, she nodded and one of the three men behind her removed the gag. Meanwhile, her belongings were placed on the desk in front of the man.

"A knife, an electric light, some dog tags, a suppressed Glock with two magazines, meaning that you were probably with the soldiers who tried to infiltrate the building a few hours ago, a light bulletproof vest and… A police baton? How did you expect it to be…? No, nevermind…" He said, sighing.

"The Japanese government must be really panicking if they're sending policemen to infiltrate us… Then again, with the growing pressure from the UN I'm not that surprised. Only a matter of time before the Japanese are forced to give in. Now then, do you have any questions? After all, we'll be spending quite a lot of time together."

An expression of honest surprise showed on her face, momentarily hiding the fear in her eyes.

"Are you not going to ask me questions? Torture me?"

The man looked at her with a defeated face.

"Aaaaagh… Fucking Hollywood… In hostage situations, antagonizing the hostages is the least thing you want to do. I prefer to keep a… good relations with my hostages, if you will. I'm not a barbarian. We'll take measures to keep you from running away and you may not like it, but do know that I'm not doing it out pleasure."

His grin told all the contrary. She unconsciously tried to lower her feet even more as they already were as sweat appeared on her face and unpleasant imagery popped in her mind.

"As for questions? I already know all I need to know! You're part of a team sent by the Japanese government to stop the ammunition production for the Elbian Gatlings. Your name will be of no importance here, we may as well call you "dog" or "pet" that it wouldn't change anything."

She shuddered, thinking of all the implications such a name could bear.

"You're not important enough to know anything of value. Your only value is as a hostage. There's also your policeman friend and that Siren, but if they're not here that means you somehow got rid of the two traitors of the Special Forces soldiers. That's a regrettable loss, hardly replaceable, but they knew the risks. We all do."

A pause ensued. The man was staring at Yuna intensively, gauging her state of mind, while she desperately tried to come up with an escape plan. After a few minutes of the intense glare battle, the man checked his watch.

"Well, you're not very talkative…" He said, sounding almost disappointed. "It's quite late in the night, and I have plenty of work to do, police girl. We'll see each other tomorrow. Satoshi, Qwong, take her to the cell, then go rest some."

Without waiting for an answer, the man raised from his chair and left the room, while two of the three burly guards took her through a door she didn't see before. Inside the second room were three simple beds, likely for the three guards, with their personal belongings on various furniture.

Another, smaller door was unlocked, and she was unceremoniously thrown into the new space, before the door closed back.

The sound of the lock sealed her hope of any chance of escape.

She was alone in the darkness. Her arms and feets were still bound. And as the reality of the situation dawned on her, all she could do was to try to keep herself from sobbing.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**Thanks to those still supporting me!  
It seems there's less comments lately. Honestly I can understand that "individual" stories may appear less appealing than the whole "geopolitical" side of the story but well, they're necessary to progress the plot. Not much I can do about that, but I hope you people still enjoy the story.**

**Thanks again, and see you next week!**


	29. Chapter 28: a double-edged sword

It could have been morning already. Or a few minutes. It was hard to tell, the room Yuna was in was completely engulfed in darkness.

Nevertheless, she mentally kicked herself back into action. All wasn't lost yet.

The rope binding her limbs dug into her skin, the sensation of burning irritation already making itself feel from the abuse, but the knots refused to give in, tied as such by someone who knew the trade.

Opting for a second option, she crawled on the ground, looking for a sharp object that could ease the binds. However, with only her sense of touch, she found no such thing.

After a time that felt like eternity to her, she felt something hurt her leg, tearing away the fabric of her pants. Further inspection showed the object to be a slightly damaged plank on the floor, from which just the tip of a nail stood out.

Out of any better option, she rubbed the rope binding her hands against it to little results. Yet, as what felt like hours passed, little to no gains were made. If anything, the skin in contact with the rope was redder than ever.

As she was about to continue her efforts after a short pause, the noise of the lock to her room being played with echoed in the silence. Immediately, she stopped moving and faked sleep.

Soon, someone unlocked it and stepped in. Peeking through barely open eyes, Yuna recognized one of the men thanks to the light from outside. He apparently struggled to walk straight, using the walls to support himself despite the lack of obstacles.

He closed the door back gently, locked it back, then fell on all fours, muttering unintelligibly all the while. Abandoning the fake sleep, she squirmed on the ground, but was totally bound and had no mean to move away.

She yelped as he caught her by the ankle, dragging her under him. His breath assaulted her nose, confirming her suspicion that he was drunk, as he came dangerously close to her face.

"Haven't been with… A woman in weeks… You'll do nicely…"

The realization of what he was about to do struck her, and she struggled even more violently than before against her binds. Yet, even this wouldn't save her from this situation. He unbuckled his pants, quickly throwing them aside, touching her all the while. His disgusting hands creeped her out. She violently buckled, but the man held her firmly.

At the price of a sizable area of bruised skin and muscles, she freed her left hand from the binds, but the despair coupled with her bad position made it so she managed to pull out a single punch before her arm was grabbed.

"Stop… Struggling!"

He grabbed her free arm, using her awkward positioning at his advantage.

However, a ray of hope shined in her mind. Completely intoxicated by the alcohol, the man was undoing the bind around her feet with his free hand, not realizing his error.

Indeed, he was giving her back freedom with limbs that could _very easily _reach his groin. And she did just that. Gloating at the prospect of a soon-to-be-found freedom, she launched the mightiest kick she could muster at his nether region.

He didn't scream. Didn't utter a single noise for a few seconds.

"You… Bitch…" He whispered, before falling on the side.

He was holding his groin with both hands, curled up in a foetal position.

Wasting no time, she started freeing herself. As she struggled with irritation against the stubborn knots, a whisper came through the door.

"Satoshi, you're done? We were supposed to leave her be, we're done for if Frank catches us…"

The man who tried to assault her was still wiggling on the ground, occasionally moaning. Knowing the person on the other side would come to investigate when no one would answer, she struggled even harder against the binds.

"Satoshi?" Whispered the same voice, followed by three knocks.

Freeing her legs with relief, she threw the rope aside and immediately got up. Silently groaning at the muscle ache after an unknown time of staying in the same position, she forced herself and leaned against the wall, just near the door.

The noise of the lock being opened sounded way too loud in the tiny room, and she held her breath as the door was opened. The light of an electric torch swept the walls.

"Satoshi, you alright?"

Slowly, the man advanced in the room, gun first. Yuna stayed unmoving, unbreathing. Unless he directed the light directly at her, she was basically invisible. She prayed her heartbeat wouldn't betray her as she felt as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. The light soon found and stopped on the moaning form of the would-be rapist, and she immediately sprang into action.

Grabbing the unsuspecting arm holding the gun, she violently pulled. Completely taken by surprise, the gunman fell to the floor, dropping his weapon in the process. Yuna immediately jumped on his back and took his arms into a deadlock, applying pressure with her knees while grabbing his head with her hands. Before he could call for help, she hit it against the floor, dizzying the man. Her mind overshadowed by panic, she kept swinging the head against the hard floor the action until her arms ached.

Her victim had stopped moving long before she stopped.

Once her violent tendencies were calmed, she went to work on the second man who was quickly rendered unconscious in his paralyzed state.

Once the deed was done, she got up and looked at the results. Her heart was beating wildly, her brain completely high on adrenaline and her arms shaking. She tried to wipe the traces of blood on her fingers, but some of it was stuck under her fingernails. Its source was easy to find.

Around the man's head she had smashed on the floor was an expanding pool of blood. Gagging in disgust at her own actions, she retrieved the man's gun (She was surprised to recognize the Glock she came here with) and considered shooting them but…

It was too much for her. After her first kill earlier in the night, she was confident enough that she would be able to shoot with the intention to kill again. And it was easy. Too easy. The gun was suppressed, loaded with subsonic ammunition, and her target unmoving. Shooting to defend one's life was a thing. Shooting to kill a helpless person was another.

On the other side, those people were the same people that caused this whole ordeal in the first place. Who orchestrated the murder of the special forces, and the attempt on Taketa, Myuute and herself. In addition of the mission she came here for.

Mentally preparing herself, she whispered a prayer before putting the gun on the would-be rapist's temple, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

The gun's recoil and the squishy sound of the bullet exiting the head were the only things she witnessed of her action. Gagging once more, she left before curiosity forced her to look back.

Still shaken by her own act, she closed the door and quietly advanced in the new room. It was the dormitory, with all the beds unoccupied. That meant that currently, there were mainly three people she had to be careful of. The third guard, the "Frank" person, apparently the leader of the team and "Andovald", the magic user downstairs.

Of course, the other guards were still dangerous, but if she could shoot them before they got into close quarters, she should be fine. At least, that's what she hoped. There was no telling what strange magic imbued the guard's armors.

Her short inspection of the dormitory revealed no one, but she did find something else. Leaning against the wall where numerous AK pattern rifles, next to them covered in cyrillic script where a few stacked crates of old Soviet bloc ammunition and on top of these gleamed the dull orange of polymer magazines.

Looking at her gun a moment, she decided to take one of the assault rifles, plucking a pair of magazines and finding the steel-cased rounds glinting between the feed lips. Should things get hairy, the greater firepower would be much welcomed. She had no training with the new weapon, but it had the advantage of being quite a simple gun. Pulling tightly the black strap around her torso so the rifle wouldn't make any noise, she went on to inspect the office where she was first captured.

Through the barred window, the sky was starting to take a pink color, meaning that morning wasn't far. Some quick math revealed that it had been at least two or three hours since she had entered the building. Too long. Way too long to her taste.

She found the gear they'd taken off of her left on the main desk, and to her relief her treasured baton was among the items. It was the one she had been awarded when finishing her training, and she developed an emotional attachment to it. She took hold of the electric light as well but left the remaining gear so it wouldn't weight her down.

As she was still unnoticed, she took a few minutes to search the room. The desk had quite a few papers in its drawers, written in a language she couldn't read, so she stuffed them in a black modern backpack she had brought from the dormitory.

A key gleamed in the back of one of the drawers of the desk, and it fit perfectly in the keyhole of the safe in the corner of the room. Inside were even more papers which she grabbed, as well as a few other miscellaneous items. However, as her attention was focused on the content of the safe, someone opened the door.

The third soldier that had been missing from the dormitory, flanked by the two elbian guards that guarded the door, looked at her for a second, while adrenaline, once more tonight, flooded her circulatory system. A fraction of a second later, he pulled out a gun and shot at her, while she ducked behind the desk. She flinched each time the bullets bit into the thick wooden furniture, but did her best to maintain her composure.

The loud gunshots in the night were like an alarm, and already uncoordinated footsteps could be heard downstairs.

As she peeked out of cover, the two Elbian guards charged at her with a war cry on their lips. Surprised, she managed to only shoot twice at one of the guards, while the second came down on her. He swung his sword down and she blocked with the gun in her hand, the heavier blade tearing the weapon from her hands.

Retreating a few steps in panic, she picked up the police baton hanging from her belt and blocked another strike aimed at her side. For a few seconds the weapons clashed against each other, the blade parried by her weapon, but he was a trained warrior, while she was merely a police officer. Maybe a little more skilled than the usual policeman, but still. She couldn't get her opponent to open his guard and remained on the defensive. To add to her predicament, the soldier with the gun was looking for an opening as the two fighters struggled against each other and she had to be careful to always have the guard between her and the soldier.

In the end, her lacking skill proved to be her loss as with a feint, the guard swung low and sliced into her side. Yuna yelped, retreating a few more steps as a sharp pain assaulted her nervous system, pressing on the wound with her left hand while the guard kept his advance. Looking for an opportunity, she spotted a bottle on a table just near and immediately threw it at the man's face. He instinctively raised his blade to defend himself, but the glass shattered and showered him in wine. As the liquid blinded him for a moment, she raised her baton and hit as hard as she could on the man's helmet.

The blunt weapon caved in the metallic protection and sent the man stumbling back, while she took hold of the AK-74 in her back and she sent a few rounds in the guard's direction. Before even confirming the kill, she threw herself back behind the desk as two more bullets whizzed above her.

"Tch. Dammit. You three there!" Said the soldier. "Get her, I need to contact the leader!"

She gulped. The situation was becoming dire. Blood was pouring out of her wound, enemies were blocking the only exit and she couldn't wait here for too long before more reinforcements or heavier weaponry was brought to deal with her.

As three more set of footsteps came in her direction, she raised from cover and sent a long burst in their direction, dropping two of them while the third immediately ran back to cover. Going back into cover, she cursed as her bruised hand hurt like hell against the rifle's recoil.

"Andovald!" Shouted another voice. "Do something with your magic, we can't even get close to the bitch!"

Dread filled her mind. How was she supposed to fight back something she didn't even know the nature of?

"Yes sir, go back a few steps if you will…"

A roaring sound, an orange glow, and-

"You idiot!" Said a voice, followed by a loud _smack. _ "Not fire! The whole building will go in flames if we're not careful!"

"Yes, and interrupt my casting like that once again and we'll all explode or something! Let me practice the arcane arts in peace!"

A bright blue hue coming from the mage lit the entire room through the opening of the door, but Yuna wouldn't let him do whatever he planned to do. Peeking out of cover, she recognized the same mage that led her to her capture, hidden behind two guards using large tower shields.

Trying to control her breath, she took aim and let out a short burst which easily penetrated the shields, and the mage behind them. However, she definitely didn't expect the result of her actions.

Unknown to her, Yuna had shot the mage at the most critical moment of his casting. The very precise amount of magical power he was extracting turned into a giant siphon, immediately emptying the local reserves. All of this magical power condensed in a single body followed the laws of nature, and sought a way to free itself. And just like any type of energy, it freed itself through the medium of heat.

The mage literally exploded in a fireball, immediately turning to cinders the guards near him and shattering all the windows. The fire greedily burnt the wooden floor, quickly growing in size in less than a minute. The intense heat set aflame all cloth items in direct proximity. Curtains, carpets, clothes, everything burned.

Yuna wasn't spared from the initial explosion. The shockwave sent her on all fours, the desk taking the brunt of the wave of heated air. Immediately, a high-pitched whistle struck her ears.

But her struggles weren't ending yet. After a full minute of forced paralysis, as she got up like a groggy boxer to assess the situation, the smoke coming from the fires filled her lungs, sending her into a painful coughing fit. Shaking all over and using the walls to support her own weight, her steps brought her back to the dormitory.

She knew the fire would soon spread there. But for now, the relatively cool temperature in a stark contrast to the other room and the lack of smoke helped a lot in clearing her mind. Ironically, the fire was blocking her exit but was also blocking enemies from coming in, leaving her enough time to tear apart some clothes she found lying around and to bind them around her side wound. She grimaced and cursed as the cloth came in contact with the bare flesh, but applied pressure nonetheless.

Once that was done, she prepared to leave. If she stayed there, the fire would kill her sooner than anything else. As she was about to put her hand on the door handle, her eyes stopped on a bundle of plastic water bottles.

A room on fire to run through. An available water supply. The equation was quickly resolved and she poured the cool liquid all over herself, just before adding a makeshift scarf around her head. Then, gulping, she opened the door and got into the fiery hell that had become the office. The hot air intake made her eyes water instantly and she crouched, avoiding the smoke. Peeking through half-opened eyes, she chose the less burning path through the chaos, but she quickly found herself faced with another problem: in front of the exit of the room was a large wall of fire. Sweat was pouring like never before on her skin, making the cloth uncomfortable cling to her body. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she took a first step with the intention of jumping over the fire.

The weakened wooden planks gave out at that first step.

She fell screaming through the floor, brutally landing on her back. A sharp pain in her leg caused her to renew her scream as a thin piece of wood went right through her right leg. Cursing and breathing in a rapid rhythm, she grabbed the piece of wood.

That action only caused her to scream once more, and she quickly decided to leave it at that. Plus, she risked an even bigger blood loss than she already had if she removed it.

Grabbing the assault rifle who had fallen a little bit away, she put it back on her back and grimaced as she used her hands to get back up.

Her little stunt through the floor had brought its own lot of burning debris from the first floor. And to her horror, the fire was already starting to eat away at the dry wooden floor.

She also remembered that in the factory, near the ammunition assembly area was a cave in which were tens of barrels of black powder.

A single spark was all that was needed. A single spark reaching the wrong place would detonate the whole building, and those around it at the same time.

Panicked guards ran around her, some horribly burned by having been near the mage when he exploded, others hauling buckets of water upstairs, desperately trying to combat the flames. All too busy to bother with her.

That was fine by her. Thanking lady luck that no one paid attention, she limped as fast as she could on her intact leg to the exit, keeping to the side of the hallway.

Reaching the exit with a relieved sigh, she welcomed the fresh outside air. The sky, now tinted yellow, filled her with confidence despite her wound. A smile even creeped on her face. Amidst the few surviving guards who were being rescued and the few civilians up this early, forcibly conscripted to bring water buckets from a nearby well, she remained invisible.

Still limping on her wounded leg, she made her first steps away from this wretched place.

"And where do you think you're leaving, police girl?"

A voice brutally tore her away from her optimistic mindset. Just like a dark cloud showing up on the horizon on a picnic day, Frank was ten steps on front of her and ruined her mood. In his hands was an AK assault rifle aimed at her, and behind him was the third soldier, armed with the same weapon.

"Is this how it ends?" She asked, a weary smile on her lips. She wasn't even upset anymore. She knew she couldn't do anything more. She was a wreck, could hardly stand up and even less fight back. She just knew she had ruined the man's plan, at least temporarily, and that was enough for her. She was ready to accept her death.

A scowl was deeply imprinted on Frank's face.

"You… You put us at a stepback, and for that I'm impressed. But you still have a use. You won't like it though. I will-"

Frank's speech was suddenly cut when, out of nowhere, an arrow flew right into the soldier's throat behind him. He gargled, fell on his knees with his arms pressed on his throat before falling down.

"What the!" Shouted Frank, looking frantically for the source of the arrow. "Show yourself!"

His only answer was a green glow coming from one of the alleyways, and before he could do anything a violent gale sent him crashing against the opposite wall, quickly followed by an arrow right in his chest. He looked at the arrow with disbelief in his eyes, before a second one punctured his heart.

Yuna already knew who did that. With a smile, she saw Myuute leaving the alleyway, clutching her bows and arrows in her hands. And when the Siren grabbed her as Yuna fell to the ground, her body no longer able to support the numerous wounds, she knew it wasn't a hallucination.

"Myuute…"

The Siren's name was all that left Yuna's lips before she fell unconscious. Myuute smiled, before hoisting the policewoman on her back and walking away.


	30. Chapter 29: A wounded Princess

« Are you sure we should be going to see her, General?" Asked Yanagida, driving the vehicle slowly through the streets of Alnus. Hazama, sat in the passenger seat, picked up his smartphone to read the message he received one last time. The light from the screen made the dark circles under his eyes all the more visible.

"I agree it's hard to believe, Yanagida, but Dr. Yumeka assured me that this morning, she was in a completely healthy state. After what happened three days ago, it's only right that we go to apologize for what happened."

The car slowed down as they approached the barrier leading to the parking of the hospital. Yanagida opened the window, exhanging a few words to the guard and letting the fresh morning air in. Finishing the conversation, the guard opened the barrier Yanagida voiced his concerns to Hazama once the windows was closed.

"Sir, if I may, you have barely slept since the incident. Couldn't you have at least taken a single whole night of sleep?"

Rubbing his tired eyes, the General fished a protein bar from his pockets, took a bite then spoke to the Lieutenant between each bite.

"Yanagida, what happened is disastrous. Someone managed to infiltrate spies into the highest ranks of the JSDF! We found three of them already, and seven more in the base as a whole. All placed into key positions. Armory managers, tank commanders and even kitchen staff… Add to that that the whole base has been on lockdown since then. The diplomats, the scientists, the civilians, they're anxious. Of course they'd be, they've been locked inside with no explanation. Some of them are threatening legal repercussions, some of them are trying to bribe their way out, some others are to the point of pulling guns on our soldiers because they think they're taken hostage, and I can't reveal anything because it'd give our enemies more ammunition… Tell me Yanagida, how can I even think about sleeping when the whole operation is about to burst?"

Despite the General's answer, Yanagida was still worried. He wasn't particularly a patriot, but even he had to recognize the General was someone who knew his trade and had to be respected. He took a few seconds to properly park the car in an empty spot, picked up his cap and put it on, but didn't immediately turn off the engine.

"But still, what about the team sent to Elbe? Didn't they give us reports? What is-"

Hazama cut Yanagida, rolling the plastic package of the protein bar into a ball before undoing his belt.

"All of the special forces soldier we sent there are dead, should I remind you of it? Our only source of information is from two half-dead policemen and a Siren who had to be hauled back with a helicopter. Plus, I can't send the documents back to Tokyo. If the enemy was able to infiltrate internal security, I don't want to risk the papers to be lost. They're being translated here by trustworthy people, then the translation will be sent once it's done. JSDF high command has approved of the plan. Until then, the lockdown will remain effective. We absolutely cannot allow for more casualties."

Turning off the engine before the silence got awkward, the Lieutenant left the car and smiled at a group of nurses taking a smoke break, then redirected his attention to Hazama, lowering his tone.

"What about the… You know what?"

He was referring to the trucks that had been stopped the same moment the princess had gotten wounded, and given the context, Hazama quickly understood.

The drivers didn't resist when the General had given the order to subdue them, and a thorough research had proved that they were only regular soldiers given the orders to drive the trucks from point A to point B. No more was known about them for the time being, but the nature of their cargo was enough to raise a few eyebrows.

Small arms, ammunition, explosives but also Kevlar vests and helmets. The weapons themselves ranged from soviet-era AK-47's, AR pattern rifles, hunting rifles and shotguns, both civilian and military grade, different pattern of claymore and anti-tank mines... Why someone needed to sneak in through so much diverse weaponry was unknown and outright scary, but it was the rest of the shipment that remained mysterious.

Machined parts, generators and all kinds of mechanical devices for all kinds of machines. Some parts had been identified as parts of miniature factories for ammunition, but also digging tools, terrain scanners, food canning machines… Analysing it all was pretty slow as it was kind of trying to build a giant lego set without the instructions. And of course, bringing in civilian experts meant risking bringing spies who would drive the right answers away. The only clues were a serie of numbers on each crate with no apparent meaning.

The items were so disconnected one from another that it was hard to imagine a purpose to it.

Eying the same nurses Yanagida had smiled to, Hazama sent him a look that meant "We can't speak of this classified information here.", picked up a flat wooden, polished, rectangular box from the car then made his way into the hospital.

Even with the lockdown, the hospital was one of the rare buildings that was allowed to operate at full capacity. Patients couldn't be left like that, and the local Falmartian population benefited greatly from the vaccinations and the medicine. Parents in particular came in numbers when they heard that they could cure and protect their children from common illnesses such as smallpox.

Fortunately, no epidemic struck the base yet. Under the counsel of , the lead medical staff of the base, anyone that presented even the smallest symptoms of an unknown illness or virus were immediately quarantined.

It was still pretty early in the morning, so the empty main lobby greeted them in silence, only broken by a nurse behind the counter quietly tapping on a keyboard. Their steps loudly echoing on the floor, the two soldiers went to talk to her.

She was typing on a computer, completely focused on her work. She stayed focused on her screen for a good minute, however, as soon as she raised her head, her face dropped. Nervous at the idea of having the most important person of the base right in front of her, and having offended him in some way, she gulped nervously.

" Sir, said you'd come, but it's still a little b-bit too early. Tests are being conducted on the P-Princess currently…"

"Then that's perfect! Bring me to her, I'd like to speak with her before doing so with the princess."

Taken by surprise by the General's upfront nature, she nodded and pushed a button on a black phone on her desk, took it to her ear, and exchanged a few words with the person on the other side. Soon after, another nurse came and led Hazama and his aide through the empty corridors.

As they passed in the part of the hospital reserved for soldiers from Earth, mainly JSDF ones, a glint of regret passed in the general's eyes. A few soldiers up early recognized and saluted him. Returning the salute, he couldn't help but notice the dark circles under their eyes, the disheveled hair and the unkempt beards.

The effects from the battle of Alnus still showed to this day. Many soldiers had developed PTSD since, and it was regrettably common to be woken up at night by screams of someone having nightmares. Some other soldiers retreated back into a hollow shell, or even attempted suicide. While Alnus had been Hazama's first real battle, he had a solid mind, anchored with a wife, a family and a stable and healthy lifestyle.

It wasn't the case for every soldier.

Some of them weren't even twenty, for god's sake! Seeing a dragon the size of an airliner burn hundreds if not thousands of men, hearing the thousand of cries of shock and pain when their bullets hit... The worst had been the crying. After the Flame Dragon had been defeated, the JSDF soldiers had checked for survivors. But they were too little, for too much wounded. Many enemy soldiers, some not even twenty of age had died in excruciating pain before help could come, crying and screaming in pain all the while. It was too much for the weakest minds amidst those who fought that day.

With a lingering sadness, they finally reached the room the nurse was leading them to. Inside was a number of doctors in white blouses, shocked, awed and surprised whispers leaving their mouths.

"Ah, General Hazama!" Said a woman's voice, shutting down the whispers.

From the group of doctors came a tall, severe-looking woman. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, a thin pair of glasses rested on her nose and her high heels loudly tapped against the floor each time she took a step.

"Doctor Yumeka." Greeted the General. "I received your message, but it's the first time I witness someone recover so quickly after a gunshot wound."

Yumeka sighed, defeated, surprising the general. He got to know her since the day she was assigned as head medical officer of the base and it was the first time he saw her so tired, so... Done with everything.

"You should come see yourself, sir." She said, pushing the other doctors aside. She picked up an MRI photo and showed him. On it was a regular MRI scan, showing a fractured right shoulder.

"This was taken yesterday, sir. The bullet broke the princess' shoulder, it would have taken at least a few weeks for her to heal that."

She took a second MRI picture. This one had no visible broken bone. In fact, it seemed that the person shot was completely healthy.

"And this was taken just half an hour ago. We have not a clue on how it could happen. If I had to take a guess, it could be… Well, magic, as much as it breaks apart everything I ever learned on medicine and the human body. I suspect there was something, a potion, an item or even someone who had the ability to cure her."

Thoughtful, Hazama put a hand to his chin. The Knights of the Rose had been a pain to deal with to allow Pina to be treated in the base's hospital. Among the concessions he had to make was a clause stating that every meal the princess would eat would be brought by the knights themselves or a personal servant, and no other. Another stated that no JSDF soldier was to be allowed within a certain distance of the Princess.

But that wasn't really what bothered him. If the princess was healed then it was all for the better. No, what bothered him was that something was powerful enough to heal instantly a wound that would normally take weeks to heal. It had to be something small as to not be spotted by the guards. And if something so small could produce such an effect, he could easily imagine something equally small but with destructive powers being sneaked into the base.

He would have to increase security. He still didn't know how, but he put that question back to later. More important matters were to be attended to right now.

"Is she available right now?" He asked.

"She should be. Follow me." Answered Yumeka, putting back the MRI pictures on a desk. Pushing the doctors aside who immediately closed back onto the pictures like a pack of hungry wolves, she proceeded to leave the room, followed by Hazama and Yanagida.

Turning a corner, they spotted a door guarded by two knights of the Rose. As Hazama had made the effort to learn the names of the knights to warm up relations, he recognized Norma Co Igloo on the left, and Panache Fure Kalgi on the right.

Upon seeing the doctor followed by the two soldiers, both knights frowned and put a hand to their blades.

"The term of the contract was very clear, General…" Warned Norma. "No soldier of yours close to the princess. And that includes you."

Hearing that, Yumeka stepped back. This wasn't her problem. Muttering a "goodbye" to the General and his lieutenant, she left them with the two knights.

"I heard the princess is back on her feet, Sir Norma." Said Hazama. "I wish to properly apologize in the name of Japan, and conduct diplomatic talk in an official manner. I also bring a gift as a personal apology. Would you relay that message to the princess?"

Hazama went even as far as bowing to the knight, handing him the box he was carrying all the time as he asked that. Seeing such a show of humility frankly surprised Norma, and slightly took him off-guard. He came to expect a much more selfish behaviour from men with the amount of power Hazama had.

Slightly relaxing but not removing his hand from his sword, the knight retrieved the box, checked its content, then exchanged a few words with Panache who took the box and brought it inside.

Crossing his arms, both soldiers patiently waited as Hazama's present made its effect. And sure enough, after a few minutes, Panache came back and straightened herself.

"You and your servant are allowed inside, General Hazama."

Yanagida noticeably frowned at the mention of "servant", but followed Hazama inside.

* * *

The Princess was completely armed, the polished armor reflecting the morning sun through the window and the blade at her side weighting with familiarity. On her hands was Hazama's gift, a straight short blade with no cross-guard, but with its grip made of gold and dark blue, almost black leather. She was examining it closely, playing with the light reflecting on its smooth surface.

She liked it. It wasn't as decorated as her father's ceremonial sword nor as encrusted with jewels, but it had an elegance that was exotic to her. If the imperial style was a roaring lion, tearing to shreds enemies that came close, then this blade made her think of a wolf, calmly sitting in the night, the moon reflecting on a still lake in front of it.

The sheathe bathed in the same feeling. It was made from a polished red wood, with golden runes she couldn't read on its surface.

Behind the Princess was a woman in a white dress with a sewn blue symbol of Elange. She had a light blue hood with golden embroidery hiding her hair, and a short want sticking out of the belt maintaining her dress in place.

As she marvelled at the metalwork in her hands, Bozes at her side greeted the newcomers.

"General Hazama, I am Bozes Co Palesti, I speak in the Princess' name. What brings you in front of Her after this assassination attempt?"

If words could kill, a normal person would have died ten times over. But Hazama wasn't about to be talked down by someone that hid so much uncertainty in her gaze.

"I'm here to officially ask for forgiveness, in Japan's name as well as in my own. What happened was a regrettable incident, the surviving perpetrator has been jailed." He answered.

But a flicker of anger lit her eyes. And this time he could see that it wasn't faked.

"Is that how Japan treats an assassin who organizes a treason against one of its higher commanders and wounds a Princess of a visiting country? I am thoroughly disappointed… Would we be following by the Imperial law, the traitor would be hanged in front of the populace!"

As she shouted, the noise of her shifting armor showed just how much angry she was. She was quite literally trembling in anger.

Hazama internally braced himself. When the storm brewed, it was better to hide and wait than try to fight it.

"And even then, is that how you treat visiting official? A bare room, a white bed? No feast in Her honor?! No magic protection?! This is unacceptable! Lady Pina is the daughter of the Emperor Molt Sol Augustus! Do you know what kind of person gets a similar lodging when visiting a foreign official? The _guards. _Would you treat royalty the same as you treat-"

Before the knight could continue her ranting, an audible _clac _cut her voice. The Princess observed one last time the blade she had just sheathed in a swift move, before redirecting her attention at Hazama while Bozes stepped back, defiantly looking at the General.

"It is quite an exquisite blade you've gifted, Sir Hazama. Does it have a name?"

Hazama smiled, relieved that the conversation was taking another turn. He dared a step forward, trying to ignore the short length of blade pulled of its sheathe by Bozes.

"In my country, it is called a _wakizashi, _Princess Pina. It was a traditional weapon for our country's warrior caste, the _samurai. _This one in particular has been in my family for six generations, it is named _Shibura Buri. _Translated in Saderan, it means "Silver Breeze"."

The Princess took the blade out, raised her arms high and brought it down in a swift move. The steel cutting through the air let out a satisfying whistle and earned the Princess a smile. Putting back the blade in its sheathe with ease, she locked her eyes onto Hazama's.

"Are you a samurai, General?"

"For historical reasons, Samurai warriors do not exist anymore in Japan, Princess. Although, my family does own a _dojo_, a training ground for martial artists if you will. I am one of its instructor when my duties allow it."

Pina spent a few seconds in silence, seemingly deep in thought.

"In the Empire, there's a saying. Merchants speak with gold, scholars with books, and warriors with steel. I'm a warrior, General, head of a whole order of knights. I've trained with blades since my childhood, and I'm much more proficient with steel than words. I believe a conversation of warriors would allow us a much better understanding of each other than one with words. Would you care for a spar?"

"I believe a spar would indeed allow us for more understanding."

Yanagida loudly coughed at Hazama's answer, but neither the General or the Princess paid attention to it.

"Then let us be ready!" Proclaimed Pina. "Let us meet shortly on this flat land!" She said, pointing at the parking that could be seen through the window of the room.

"Let us be ready…" Answered Hazama with a smile.

* * *

"YOU CAN'T JUST DO… THAT, SIR?!"

"Lieutenant, lower your tone. We're in a hospital."

Realizing his error and his lack of respect to his superior, Yanagida composed himself as they walked back to the car.

"But sir… Sparring? Against a Princess? A diplomatic envoy? That's…"

Sighing, Hazama put a hand to his temple.

"You're a good soldier, Yanagida. But a poor politician. Have you noticed how armed she was?"

Of course he noticed. But that couldn't be it. Was there something else to it that he didn't realize? Yes, she was fully armed. Her other weapons, a mace and a large two-handed sword were bundled together in a crimson cloth and the plates she ate her breakfast on were nowhere to be seen. Slowly, the basis of a solution formed in his mind, but Hazama completed it.

"She was armed because she was ready to leave, lieutenant. She almost got killed the moment she set a foot in our base. If she had left, any chance of diplomatic relations between us and the Empire would have disappeared. My gift and approval for a spar is what convinced that maybe it was worth it. Don't forget that the people here have a very strong warrior culture. Should I have refused, we would have been seen as weak and our relations lukewarm at best. Now, I need to prepare. Lieutenant, go get my wooden sword, it's in my office. Bring some coffee too."

Still not sure about the whole idea, Yanagida saluted the General and left the hospital.


	31. Chapter 30: A defeated Princess

A breeze swept over the parking, oddly loud in comparison to the sound of the distant cars. For the duel, Pina chose to remove her armor, only keeping her knee-high riding boots, simple dark pants and a bare white linen shirt with her corset on top. In her hands was the familiar weight of a two-handed sword.

Hazama had an even simpler apparel consisting of a dark blue shirt, and what seemed to be the bottom of a black robe up to his ankles with sandals on his feet. She still remembered how angry she was when he initially came with a wooden sword. This was a warrior's duel, not a children's playground! Fortunately, his servant, Yanagida, also came with the very same curved sword she had seen when she got wounded, a few days ago, and gave it to the general instead.

As the one challenged, Hazama had set up the rules, choosing to forbid blows to the head and vital areas and deciding the victor to be the first to land a hit. Whether or not blood was poured was of no importance.

Observing the duel were some members of the healer's guild (or, the "hospital", as it was told her the name of the place was), soldiers from the other side (though most of them had a simple white flag with a red dot in the middle on their shoulder) and her own knights. For the judges, Bozes from her side and Yanagida from his side had both been chosen. She didn't know about this Yanagida fellow, but she knew that Bozes, her closest friend and confident, would judge the fight fairly.

She worked her fingers around the sword's handle, searching for the most comfortable position. Meanwhile, short memories of her apprenticeship flashed into her mind, eliciting a smile which quickly faded.

"Fight!" Shouted Bozes and Yanagida in unison.

Pina immediately lowered her stance, spreading her feet wide and pointing the tip of her sword down, presenting herself at Hazama with the "Medium Iron Gate" pose she had had so much trouble to master during her apprenticeship. Her opponent slowly approached, holding his _katana _above his head, ready to strike.

Much faster than she expected, his blade came down in a cleaving arc, barely letting her raise her sword in time. His steel glided against hers before stopping at the crossguard, to which she immediately replied by shifting her sword's angle and thrusting at his chest. Hazama pushed the tip away from him with his sword and thrusted as well with a shout.

Jumping back, Pina avoided his steel by a hair's breadth and refocused.

She thought of the Japanese as cowards who only fought at a distance, and for her error she almost lost the duel immediately. Just like the men who fought against her and lost because they underestimated a woman, she underestimated him. From this bout who had lasted less than three seconds, she had already learnt a little bit about him.

And despite the spite she directed at herself, she couldn't repress the glimmer of a smile forming on her lips. This was it! This was how warriors talked!

"EMROY!" She roared enthusiastically, throwing herself at him.

Her steel met his multiple times as both sides looked for an opening. Each hit sending a vibration through her arms, each meeting point between the two blades announced by a loud clash of metal reverberating in the area. The blades wobbled as they fought, the steel absorbing the strain of what both fighters put on their blades.

Sending a haywire of a swing, she forced him back a few steps. The following short pause allowed her to correct her pose and wipe the sweat forming on her forehead. Hazama was in no better state, the sweat glistening on his skin and his mouth open from the need to breathe.

Both combatants grinned at each other. The battle hadn't gone on for long, but was extremely intense. And they both liked it that way.

Once more the fighters threw themselves into a lethal dance as their blades sang with each impact. Pina's blade collided with Hazama's as she aimed at his left hip, to which he replied by using his momentum to swing upwards with a shout.

Putting her weight on her back leg, she narrowly avoided the strike and thrust, but once more the blade was stopped. She stepped back to give herself some breathing room, but Hazama followed, relentlessly keeping up the assault.

To the sides, upward, downward, he attacked from all sides, pushing back the Princess who kept retreating. During the short pause between two hits, she hid her glee as she spotted an opening in his defence. Gripping her blade tightly, she repelled his sword as hard as she could before shifting its angle and cleaving downward, aiming for his shoulder.

In her mind, all was perfect. Hazama's sword had bounced off hers, sending it away, and he was unbalanced from her parry.

Yet, it was all a feint. She realized it when the corners of Hazama's mouth curled into a grin.

Her sword whistled in the air as Hazama moved his back leg and his arms out of arm's way, presenting his side to her. Hitting nothing but her pride, her blade collided with the ground as Hazama slashed upwards, cutting into the flesh of her extended arms.

The pain immediately taking hold of her senses, she lost her balance with a cry, but Hazama caught her with one hand while the other already returned the _katana _to its sheathe.

"Lord Hazama of the JSDF is declared the winner of this spar!" announced Bozes, while the medical personnel that had witnessed the duel were already pushing the stretcher and emergency medical supplies towards the wounded Princess.

However, as they were about to reach her, Bozes put herself in-between, forcing them to a sudden stop.

"Move!" Shouted one of the nurses. "We need to stop the bleeding before she loses too much blood!"

"No." Simply answered the blond-haired knight. "This is already being dealt with."

Puzzled at the cryptic sentence, they didn't move as the knight stepped aside.

Pina's servant, the one that brought her breakfast this morning, was standing, one hand placed over the wound and the other pointing her wand's tip in the air. Her white robe sporting Elange's symbol fluttering in the breeze, she closed her eyes and started muttering something. The language itself was unknown to those who observed, even to the knights, but soon an orange glow appeared from the wand's tip. The light intensified but remained gentle, just like a comfy fireplace in a closed room would.

The few who weren't completely amazed by the sight took out their cellphones, struggling to pick the "video" option because of the excitement.

Just like a tailor weaving a tapestry, the servant moved the wand in circles, the light following its tip but leaving an orange trail in its wake. Surprised gasps sounded in the audience as they realized that she wasn't moving randomly, she was picking up the trails together with her wand, the light somehow sticking like a cobweb to a stick would, and weaved it together into a thicker strand, which she then pointed right to her other hand. It passed through it, coiling around the Princess' arms, forming runes and symbols none of them recognized, before disappearing into the skin.

Even louder gasps and even shouts rocked the audience when suddenly muscle strands reconnected themselves, body fat recovered the area and skin grew anew to close the wound in the span of a few seconds.

Hazama who was the closest to Pina was amazed as well. He read the reports and seen a few videos of magic in action, but never with his own eyes. He observed with wide-open eyes the last strands of orange light fade away and carved the memory into his mind. Few things in his life could match the amazement he just felt.

Feeling the pain subsiding, Pina slowly unclenched her teeth, carefully feeling with her fingers the recently grown skin. Once she was sure the pain was gone, she stretched her arms, then faced the sister.

"Sister Palatine Leona, you have my thanks. My father the Emperor was right to trust the Sisterhood of Clearwater to treat his family."

The Sister put the wand back at her waist, securing it at the belt. Her hand was trembling and sweat visibly formed on her face.

"Princess, I am only doing my duty, but please do not harm yourself like that again… Using healing magic twice in such a short time span is extremely taxing…"

Taking the Sister's words into consideration, Pina put a hand at the woman's shoulder in a reassuring fashion, then turned to the puzzled Hazama.

"Well then General, now that we know each other, should we speak in a more… official manner?"

Still silent, Hazama could only nod in acceptance.

* * *

Back in Hazama's office, Pina took to her lips a cup of wine that the General had poured for her and himself. It reminded her of the wine, albeit more refined, produced in the Lucretia region in the southern Falmart. She let the liquid sit in her mouth, enjoying the taste, before drinking it, enjoying the bitter sensation in her throat.

"What kind of wine is that, General?" She asked. She repressed the need to scratch the newly cured wound, the itchy feeling almost maddening.

From the sofa in front of him, Hazama grabbed the bottle in order to read its label.

"A _Bordeaux, _Princess. It comes from France, a nation of my world famous for its wines."

"Well, they definitely deserved their reputation…" She said, enjoying another sip.

A minute was spent in silence as both enjoyed the drink.

"If you'd allow me that question, Princess, who was that woman who healed you?" Asked Hazama.

Pina, feeling that she would start to get drunk if she kept on drinking, put back the cup on the coffee table. Despite her good mood, she wasn't here to enjoy a quite literally otherworldly wine.

"That would be sister Leona. A higher-up of the Sisterhood of Clearwater which is a coven of La and Elange worshipers who seek the spread of healing techniques. My father funds their coven and their activities in exchange for their support in healing his troops. Sister Leona was assigned to my Rose Knights years ago… But we aren't here to discuss magic, we are here to discuss the future relation between our two countries. We have fought, Lord Hazama, we have spoken as warriors. And we have confirmed each other to be honorable fighters…"

She shivered with pleasure, remembering the thrill of combat that had taken hold of her mind and body just moments ago. Rubbing her arms, she composed herself and cleared her throat.

"Please excuse me, Emroy be blessed, I can feel His blessing still coursing through my veins… Like I said, you're an honorable man whom I can trust. And through you, I took a glimpse of your society."

As Pina took a pause, Hazama put down his cup, crossed his arms and rested his chin on them. Now was the time for serious business.

"Like I said last time." Began Pina. "I came here as an ambassador to initiate friendly relations between the Empire and Japan. Despite the fact that you built this fortress on my father's lands, and that I was almost murdered the moment I met you…"

She put a heavy emphasis on the last sentence, still offended. The only things that kept her from storming out of the base were her father's orders, Hazama's gift which had awoken her curiosity and the new trust she put in him.

"… I believe a positive relation would benefit both of us. To that end, I would like to visit Japan in order to speak with your leader. Or leaders. After all, one must know who one is dealing with. And I believe that from the traces your soldier's chariots have left in the nearby villages and towns, you already have a basis of knowledge about us. Consider it an equivalent exchange…"

During a fraction of a second, she saw the General frown. And she internally cheered. She had the political high ground, and she needed to capitalize on it.

"I suppose it can be arranged." Answered Hazama. "However, I have to warn you we have taken no stance on the war between the Empire and its former vassals. And because of many cultural reasons, it is hard for us to do so."

She snorted at the mention of the traitorous former vassals, and decided to add more weight to her leverage of the situation.

"You can choose to ally with nations that will turn on another at any occasion, that wage war on us despite the good we have brought. And that still can't beat us despite the weapons someone gave them from your side…"

Hazama's mouth curved downward at this mention.

"Or, you can choose to ally with a nation that has been the dominant power on the whole continent for six hundred years, that has the biggest trade, military and political power. An Empire which also has a great wealth of knowledge on magic, a tool that, according to the traders and travellers we spoke to, none of you can use… I think it is an easy choice to make."

After a short pause, the General sighed then massaged his temples which frustrated Pina even more. Hazama was a true warrior, that much she had gathered from him, and she trusted him not to harbor an ulterior motive. But even as a political point of view, she couldn't understand why he was so reluctant. Was there even a point in refusing to ally with the most powerful nation on Falmart?

"Princess, it is not that your offer isn't enticing for us. And I can say that despite having no deciding power back in Japan, apart the one of a voter. I know for a fact that no nation of our world would ally with the Empire or most of the Allied Nations."

It wasn't even frustration anymore; Pina was starting to forget the newfound respect she had for Hazama. Her teeth clenching and fist tightened, she crossed her arms.

"Then what?" She said, a little more harshly than she intended to. "What keeps you from allying with an entire world, General?"

"Slavery."

Hazama's dry answer came in a single world, and took the Princess off-guard. He continued.

"Slavery is one of the most heinous of crimes in our world. Even the weakest, the poorest nations and those that lack an efficient military do not have slaves. It is the first amendment of many nations. "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights" is one of the cornerstones of our world, and you ask me why we wouldn't ally with a nation that officially conducts slavery?"

His answer struck her as weird, even shocking. No slavery? At all? Then how did they build their cities? Their monsters of metal that spewed fire? Their flying swords that cut wyverns apart? Their terrifying weapons that reduced a Flame Dragon, the equivalent of a natural disaster in Falmart, to a pulp?

His declaration also cleared many of her questions. "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights". It explained why there were no nobles, and why their society seemed humble, almost weak in her eyes. Not in a military way, as their soldiers could likely wipe out armies from Falmart easily, but in a way of thinking.

As she was still dazed, his words took her back to reality.

"Unless the Empire, and also many nations from Falmart, do something about slavery, there is very little chance of any official treaties between You and Us. I know that slaves are in large part what makes your Empire great and I know our leaders wouldn't ask for immediate abolition of slavery, but a step in the right direction would give your father and your people a lot of leniency."

She forgot all about her political image and sunk in the sofa like a deflated balloon. Abolishing slavery? That would sign the death sentence of basically every form of government in Falmart save for a few and completely crash the economy. The recent campaign against the warrior bunnies had revived the Empire's dying trade… Without it, revolts would have flared all over the land and famine would have settled, not speaking about the vassals which would have revolted much sooner.

Admitting defeat a second time today, she sighed and straightened her posture, resting her head over her crossed arms.

"I think I have… Many things to learn from your world, General." She said. "Abolishing slavery isn't something the Empire can do immediately, and even then, I don't know where to begin…"

Taking a sip of the cup in front of him, Hazama savoured with great gusto both the wine and the political victory.

"I believe…" He began. "That the Alnus school has a library of books translated into Saderan. It is quite small, it only has about fourty books for the time being, but new works are added each week. While it is normally reserved for Falmartians who wish to learn about our world, I can arrange for one of my men to guide you to it and answer to your questions. Slavery was also a part of our world not so long ago, but we made great efforts to completely eradicate it. Would you accept to stay in our base for the time being? I think the study of those history books would benefit you greatly…"

Once again, the superiority of the people from the other side struck her. A school and fourty books in less than a month? That single sentence implied many things, which gave her the beginning of a headache.

"I think… I will, General." She rose from her seat, slightly bowing to him. "On behalf of the Empire, I thank you for housing one of its Princesses."

Hazama smiled with glee.

"You also have a match to win, Princess. I would greatly appreciate a fight against you once again."

Mirroring his complicit smile, she chuckled.

* * *

**Hello there, author here**

**This message is a little bit special.**

**To cut it short, I am tired of throwing chapters at the website for very little gratification. I know my story isn't the best, and is even bad in some aspects, but even then, I don't want to waste my time working on something that people don't enjoy reading. I also have other projects I want to start working on.**

**I also know I said at the beginning I wouldn't abandon the story, and believe me I hate myself for even thinking about it. I already have started working on the next chapter, and I would like to know if you readers would be interested in reading up to the end (which will probably only take a few chapters anyway) or if you don't care.**

**With that depressing message out of the way, for those that still read this mess, thank you.  
And (maybe?) see you next week.**


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